


The Great Desertion

by PanchitaRoyal



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-01-24 13:44:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21339205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanchitaRoyal/pseuds/PanchitaRoyal
Summary: Sequel to Feast of Fools. After being 'recruited' as one of Emperor Frieza's head scientists, Bulma must find a way to reunite with a certain Saiyan Prince to jump start her plot to destroy the evil Emperor. In order to do so, she must navigate the complexities of being one of Frieza's henchmen, and somehow convince Prince Vegeta to help her. Easier said than done! AU!
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Comments: 82
Kudos: 123





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> The story jumps around from the past (before the great desertion) to the present (after the great desertion). The first chapter has a bit of both timelines, so please bear with me!

** _ One year after the Great Desertion_ **

** _Present_ **

_There was carnage all around; bloodied bodies lying in piles or scattered across the vast field, making it increasingly difficult to avoid stepping on dismembered appendages. There was a trail of smoke, and small patches of catching fire here and there, so it was easy to visually pinpoint where the weapons were used without having to rely on more advance methods._

_There were booming explosions in the distance; some were still fighting, though it was immediately clear which side was winning._

_Suddenly, there was a bright light coming from far beyond the horizon, its hue almost blinding. Simultaneously, the many scouters of fallen warriors, most still attached to their bloodied faces, began to beep louder and louder…until the sound of the many beeps synchronized and became ear piercing, deafening to those who could still hear…and then they all exploded._

Bulma awoke to the sound of a shrieking alarm. It took her several minutes before she could snap out of her dreamy state and by that time, the one-man pod was already breaking through the planet's atmosphere. The computer had initiated the automatic landing sequence, which included waking her from hyper-sleep in time for the somewhat bumpy landing.

"I hate this part…" She muttered as she braced herself for the jolting which always accompanied landing, speaking out loud for the first time in two months.

"Are you with me, asshole?" She asked as she pushed the comm link. The response from the companion pod was immediate.

"Yes, _princess_. Can't get rid of me that easy." Raditz' voice was loud and clear, despite the jostling of the pod.

"We land in five, four, three, two…" Bulma braced herself as the pod finally touchdown somewhat less violently than she had expected. The hatch immediately opened and Bulma was thankful to finally breathe some fresh air. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before unbuckling and grabbing onto the handle bars so she could lift herself from the encapsulating craft and finally be rid of the extremely cramped space.

"Good morning _princess_, glad you made it in one piece." Raditz stuck his head into the pods only exit, completely invading her personal space with his twisted grin before offering his hand to help her out.

"Yeah, yeah…and stop calling me that!" She accepted his assistance, but once out, she elbowed him as hard as she could. Not that it could actually hurt him, but it didn't stop her from trying.

Raditz pretended to be hurt, doubling over in an exaggerated manner before chuckling softly at himself. But by now Bulma was focused on the landscape before them, and the seemingly barren land which had haunted her dreams for so long. There was no sign of mal doing and the field only housed dirt and small patches of brown grass. No dismembered bodies or fallen worriers.

"Can you check your scouter?" Bulma felt a chill run up and down her spine as she heard the beep of the eye piece from her companion, the devise scanning the field. The proceeding beep signaled a negative response.

"Nothing." He stated somewhat unnervingly.

Bulma stayed silent for a long moment, not sure how to react to the news of no news.

_Nothing._

The word resonated in her head. It just didn't make any sense!

"I mean…that's impossible. Right? Shouldn't the scouter pick up _something_? A large animal or some form of critter or other?" Raditz asked, staring at the field with as much perplexity as she felt.

"You might not be the brightest crayon in the box…but you have a damn good point." Her mind quickly began formulating a hypothesis for the lack of readings. The planet was inhabited, or at least it was in the past. It would be impossible that no form of life roamed the planet in some shape or form. And, despite her hazy dreams and the lack of information on the files she had been able to examine, there should be some trace of life forms. If Raditz scouter was not malfunctioning, then the only other explanation would be…

"…Raditz…we need to get back to the pods."

But as they turned around, Bulma's fears were realized. Five hooded figures stood before them, and their demeanor did not suggest they were happy to see them.

"Shit." They both said simultaneously.

* * *

For the second time that day, Bulma awoke in a hazy state. This time, instead of the usual sight of the cramped one-man pod, she opened her eyes to unknown surroundings. She could tell she was behind a force field because of the yellow hue, and her head felt heavier than it should. Did someone hit her on the head? It sure felt like it…

She was lying on the floor, she realized, and just thinking about moving gave her a headache so she stayed put. Instead, without moving anything but her eyes, she scanned the room beyond the force field. There was a man standing at an arched entrance facing away from her and she noted the walls and floor seemed to be made out of dirt like material.

There was some laughter coming from beyond the archway and suddenly three new figures entered the room. To her surprise, one of them was Raditz.

"Is the _princess _still out?" He asked as he entered, and Bulma quickly closed her eyes, not moving a muscle, pretending to still be asleep.

"I guess…she hasn't as much as stirred." One of the guards replied, as she tried to even her breathing as much as possible.

"Well, she's bound to be plenty angry, so let me know when she wakes…"

Bulma could hear some feet shuffling around and laughter again, this time moving away from the room and down what she could only assume to be a hallway. Carefully, she opened her eyes again and now found two guards standing near the archway, which apparently was the only way in and out of the room. Curiously, both guards were facing away from her, and Bulma was starting to get the feeling that she was not being held captive as much as being held away from something…

No longer able to lie still in her current position, she shifted as slowly as possible until she was able to sit up. Her head felt heavy as she ran a hand through her chin long hair. Still trying to get used to her new look, Bulma was happy to at least be able to run her fingers through her blue tresses as opposed to when it was completely shaved. It had taken her the entire year to get it this long.

One of the men guarding the entrance noticed her movement and quickly mumbled something inaudible into a walkie of sort. Both guards she could recognize to be _capeters_, a humanoid type race which only distinctive features were ridges in either side of their foreheads. They were not known for being powerful in terms of ki, but they weren't the dumbest race in the Universe, either, and what they held in their hands was enough to make her fear them slightly.

They had ki guns. And not just any ki guns…

"Recognize these?" One of them spoke as he held the gun tighter to his form, his tone somewhat hostile towards her.

"Yes." She didn't say anything else. No need to elaborate.

Now she understood why she was behind the shield.

* * *

~~~~o~~~~~~~

**_Three months before the Great Desertion_ **

"Where are my volunteers?" She asked as she handed Zarbon the pad, which he took without removing his eyes off of her. Saying she hated him would be an understatement…he was just as evil as the emperor himself, but worst yet, as he believed his 'great' looks entitled him to anything he wanted, including her. Even after her blatant refusals and her rather indiscrete encounter with a certain saiyan absolutely loathed by Zarbon, he still was not deterred. He continued his advances and quite a few times came close to simply forcing himself on her.

"Volunteers?" He asked, almost purring, and looking as though he had no idea what she was talking about. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Bulma sighted somewhat audibly before turning away from the green alien, uncaring of how powerful he was compared to her.

"I told you I needed strong warriors for this next phase. I can't test the weapons on just any third-class dimwit. I specifically asked for two of the Ginyu Force members. Or would you like for me to test it on you?" Bulma framed her waist with her hands as she berated Zarbon, still unsure why His Supreme Ruler had appointed the green alien to 'assist' in the final phase of her latest creation. If anything, he simply got in her way and she was beginning to suspect he was doing it on purpose.

"If your objective here is to assist in my failure, then you are succeeding!" She couldn't help but raise her voice as she made her way across the lab, ignoring as the technicians scurried away from her in fear.

After all, if Zarbon was known for his vanity, she was as infamous for her temper.

"Relax,_ sweetheart_. I have your volunteers. They should be arriving very soon." Once again, his speech was more of a purr, and the grin he offered sent chills down Bulma's spine. And not the good kind.

"Is it the two Ginyu members I asked for?" She asked, ignoring the disgusting pet name Zarbon favored for her. It made her sick to her stomach every time she heard him say it.

"Trust me, your volunteers will be _much_ better." His grin grew into a full smile accompanied by a chuckle as he walked across the lab after her, only stopping until he was mere inches away.

"You will thank met for this." And with that, he exited the lab, leaving her with more questions than answers. She knew staring daggers at the back of Zarbon's head would not really accomplish anything, but oh how she wished she could vaporize him with just her stare!

The computer console chimed behind her, calling her attention and she almost immediately forgot about the maniacal alien and her utter hatred for him.

"Shipment received in hanger 10…validation required before release?" Bulma read the instructions out loud to herself, somewhat confused. She'd never had to 'release' any shipment before, but she supposed today was as good a day as any.

Not wasting any more time, she took off her white lab coat and made sure to grab her gun before she exited the lab.

* * *

"You need clearance to board." The guard insisted, daring to place a hand on Vegeta's armored chest.

"You will remove your hand or I shall remove the arm along with it." Nappa's voice boomed next to Vegeta's ear, and he had to resist the urge to wince. Instead, he simply looked at the guard, whom immediately took a step back, holding his hand to his own chest as though it burnt.

"What do you mean we need clearance? We were summoned here, by the green lizard himself!" This time it was Raditz yelling to the sorry excuse of a guard, who now stood visibly shaking in front of the hanger door.

"We don't have to take this bullshit from this ki-less piece of shit!" Raditz seemed intent in making the guard pee on himself, and judging by Nappa's expression, he too would jump on the miserable dweeb on a moment's notice.

Instead, the light over the bay door turned from red to green, and the guard wasted no time in opening the hatch to let them through. Vegeta exited first, ignoring the cowering guard on his way out.

"Next time, I will kill you for your insolence!" Vegeta could hear as Nappa hissed behind him and a loud clunk soon after, presumably coming from Raditz.

"Let's just see what the green idiot wants and be gone, I don't want to stay on this space station for more than we have to." Vegeta finally spoke, low enough so only his two men could hear as his eyes searched around the emptied metal hallway.

First, the alien dipshit sends him and his crew on a dead-end mission to the other side of the galaxy, and now he summoned him back for who knew what. It didn't sit well with Vegeta, and he was beginning to suspect the woman he'd met almost a year prior had something to do with this.

The Saiyan's's booted footsteps echoed all the way down the metal shaft until they reached another set of doors. These were not guarded by anyone and automatically opened once they neared. The room beyond the door was a sterile white, and as protocol indicated, all three men began undressing and placing their clothing articles onto the available bins in the middle of the otherwise empty room. Without sharing any words, they each stood apart from one another and held their arms up to either side. There was beeping sound and soon the sterilizing spray hosed the three Saiyan's's down. The spray dried instantly and as soon as the computer beeped again, they quickly dressed once more.

Vegeta had gone through this hundreds of times by now, but he still hated going through the decontamination process. He especially hated how he smelled right after…so…_clean_.

"We are going straight to the training room…" But as soon as they were cleared to roam free on board the ship and rounded the next corner, a familiar face stood waiting for them.

"_You_." Vegeta said. It was all he could think to say.

Her expression suggested she felt the same way.

Surprised.

* * *

Bulma knew she took too long to mask her face, and that _he_ had noticed her reaction. Her eyes lingered on the Saiyan's Prince for a couple of seconds before she looked to the other two men. She'd never met them, but she knew who they were.

"Prince Vegeta. Commander Nappa. Lieutenant Raditz." She mentioned all three by their names and ranks, bowing her head slightly out of respect.

Although they really didn't know her, Bulma in turn, felt she knew them intimately. She'd spent countless hours studying the saiyan's; their anatomies, anything she could find about their planet's history, and of course, their similarities to the human race. All of it was done for research purposes, and had nothing to do with an unforgettable encounter up on a balcony with a certain Prince…

The three men stared at her, with various degrees of annoyance displayed on their faces. The bigger one, Nappa, was outright frowning. Raditz seemed more puzzled than annoyed and Vegeta was glaring intently at her.

"I suppose you three are my volunteers." She stated, realizing this was what Zarbon meant earlier. "My Name is Bulma. I head the research department here on the base for His Majesty, Emperor Frieza." She paused and looked at all three men, realizing this really meant nothing to them.

"Well, I suppose I should start debriefing you. This won't be easy and it will be very painful…" She started walking towards her lab, expecting the three saiyan's to follow after her. Pausing after realizing they weren't following, she turned around, placing one hand over her gun holster and the other on her hip.

"I don't have all day, gentlemen." She looked directly at Vegeta when she spoke, holding his gaze until he finally conceded and gestured for his subjects to follow after her. Bulma had to resist the urge to smirk. Although she knew the rest would be harder to pull off, so far, her plan was actually coming to realization...Zarbon had fallen for it. He'd gotten Vegeta on the same ship as Bulma…and now…_now_ the real hard part began.

Now—she had to convince the Saiyan Prince to go along with her plan.

* * *

Thank you for reading! More to come! 


	2. To Test a Saiyan

** _Chapter Two: To Test a Saiyan_ **

** _Two months before the Great Desertion_ **

It took almost an entire month to get sufficient readings from the saiyans to move onto the next phase of the trials. And so Bulma had spent many a day applying and removing scanners from all over the saiyan's body, most especially Vegeta's.

She'd soon realized her lab technicians had willingly made themselves available for this task as well, and so Bulma graciously allowed for them to participate…with Raditz and Nappa.

And so, when the computer beeped signaling it was done scanning, the two technicians, both of them _capeters,_ quickly ran over to the two bigger saiyans, giggling as they began to remove the scanners off their shirtless chests.

Bulma rolled her eyes and shook her head, but couldn't help as a smile crept up to her face.

"Geez…they could at least play coy." Bulma muttered as she made her way towards Vegeta, not bothering to speak to him as she began removing the sensors from his arms, careful not to pull on his skin.

"Like you?" His question caught Bulma off guard, especially since he'd hardly spoken to her since his arrival on the station. In response, Bulma pulled off the sensor tape with as much force as possible, making the saiyan prince involuntarily flinch.

"I_ am_ coy." Bulma grinned and continued to remove the rest of the tapes, her hands carefully gracing his skin as she continued her work.

"Hmmph" Was all the response she got from Vegeta, though his furrowed brows suggested he didn't quite believe her. After all, the first time they ever met they'd had sex…not a very good case for her.

Deciding changing the subject was best, Bulma went with the first thing that crossed her mind.

"I hear you're not really enjoying your suite up on the upper deck?" Small talk wasn't really his thing, she knew, but she'd been curious as to why he'd been sleeping on the lower decks willingly.

"If my men can't stay on the upper deck, why should I?" He questioned, his brows furrowing as though she'd asked a stupid question.

"I see. It's really a stupid rule…having only top Elites on the upper floors. However, it does keep some pretty creepy fellows below deck." Bulma was now working on removing the sensors from his back, lined up along his spinal cord and stopping right at the base of his tale. This last one was the trickiest, as it was a very sensitive spot for the saiyans.

"You should come visit someday. I'll be happy to show you around." His tone was mocking and she knew he was goading her.

"And here I thought you and I were friends. I didn't think you wanted me dead." Bulma responded, as this would be her fate if she ever went near the lower levels of the ship, and quickly removed the last of the sensors. Vegeta did not flinch this time, but turn his head over his shoulder to stare at her through slightly narrowed eyes.

"We are not friends." His tone was deathly chilly, and Bulma couldn't help as goose bumps ran up and down her spine.

"But you don't want me dead." She stated, and came around so she could face him, and in doing so felt reminded of the first time she met him…up on a balcony, with Frieza and the rest of his goons eating and drinking not far from them. How they'd taunted each other, recognizing themselves for what they truly were…

_Prisoners._

"Why am I here? I want no part in whatever this is." Vegeta crossed his arms over his shirtless chest, and Bulma found it a little harder to breathe all the sudden. Not just because he was shirtless, but because he knew she was up to something. And if he suspected, then others could too…

"I didn't ask for you. I asked for the Ginyu Force. You were Zarbon's idea. _I_ think _he_ thinks I like you. As if somehow that would deter me from my objective here." Bulma cocked her head to side, smiling somewhat triumphantly as she crossed her own arms over her lab coat. He couldn't possibly know what she was up to. He stepped closer to her before he spoke again, and Bulma had to resist the urge to step back, her smile falling instantly from her face.

"Woman, I thought we'd agreed not to lie to one another." His tone was low and hushed, and instinctively Bulma's lips parted to release a breath she didn't know she held.

"When did we agree on that?" It was all she could think of asking as thoughts of kissing the saiyan populated her mind. They were so close to one another now it would be easy for their lips to meet.

* * *

He was tired of all the silly tests and the endless pocking and probing the woman was doing for the sake of her 'experiment'. And though he'd meant to involve himself as little as possible with her, he couldn't help taunting her. He regretted this as now they stood so close to each other he could hear her heartbeat intensify and smell her scent. Her _real _scent.

She wasn't wearing a black dress or colors all over her face like when he'd met her the first time, and instead looked quite ordain in her lab coat with her bright blue hair pulled back. And still, she looked tantalizing to him, and her gentle touches had evoked him to react to her presence. He wanted very much to touch her and possibly have his way with her again, except his men were present in the room and he could sense them stealing glances at his direction.

Her blue eyes were also a distraction, and he found it difficult to look away from her. When he finally did, it wasn't because of his strong will, but instead due to the entrance of the last person he wanted to see.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything terribly important." Zarbon sneered from behind the glass panel which separated the testing room from the lab. As the area from the testing room was isolated and the door was closed, his voice could be heard from the various speakers installed throughout the room.

It made hearing his voice even that much revolting, and Vegeta could see as the woman's face paled, though she didn't turn to look through the glass.

"I need a moment with Ms. Briefs." He stated, and Vegeta could hear the humor in his tone. Instead of looking to Zarbon, the woman kept facing him, and he could see as she took one long, deep breath before her mask came up again. The one he'd seen until this very moment…there was no fear in her eyes, only resolve. She gave him a slight smirk and winked before turning.

And she walked out the testing room, the door closing and locking behind her.

He could see them talking from behind the glass panel, but he couldn't make out their words, and since they stood sideways, he couldn't quite read their lips either.

Unknowingly, Vegeta started pacing from side to side as he watched them, much like a caged animal, and he could see from her tense demeanor that she wasn't happy with whatever he was telling her. The green lizard dipshit, on the other hand, looked overjoyed with the news he was sharing, and Vegeta wanted nothing more than to punch the smirk right from his face…

"Your Highness…" Nappa's voice reminded Vegeta he was not alone, and he sharply turned to look at his two subordinates and the hideous lab tech's still hovering over them.

There was a beep somewhere far in the distance, signaling something but Vegeta wasn't quite sure what.

"Vegeta…I'm going to need you to power down. Unfortunately, the testing room is not ki proof." It was the woman's voice, coming from the speakers. H could see the concern displayed on her face.

He might just blow the ship.

Vegeta hadn't realized he'd powered up, but he could sense the energy surging through his body now, undoubtedly fueled by the anger aimed at the asshole on the other side of the glass.

He crooked his neck to the side and released his ki, allowing it to ebb back into his body to its resting place within him. After doing so, the woman offered a small nod, though he could tell she was confused by his behavior before she turned back to the lizard. A couple of moments passed.

Then, the most deplorable of Frieza's henchmen laid his hands on the woman, and Vegeta had to use the entirety of his willpower to stop himself from bashing through the glass, and destroying the entire station while at it.

* * *

"Vegeta…I'm going to need you to power down. Unfortunately, the testing room is not ki proof."

Bulma had not been expecting him to react by powering up, but obviously this was not such a good thing if it meant blowing up the entire station.

Once the computer beeped the saiyan had powered down, she sighed in relieve before turning back to the arrogant asshole.

"You _see_, weak, and a waste of time." Zarobon sneered, his tongue sticking out to hiss at her, just like a poisonous serpent. "But like I said, Frieza would like one of your pet monkeys dead before the experiments are over with, to prove your weapons actually work."

"Really? Frieza wants this or _you _want this? It was your suggestion, wasn't it?" She questioned-slash-accused him. She was having a hell of a time controlling her anger and wanted nothing more than to use one of her gun prototypes and blast his face.

"Perhaps. It doesn't change our Lords directive." He smiled again, before running a hand through his green hair, his vanity obvious.

"Well, now that you've delivered your news, you can leave." Bulma crossed her arms, angling her head towards the door.

"You dare throw me out?" His tone quickly changed for a venomous humor to a chilling cold tone. He never did like when she was outwardly defiant of him, but for some reason he was more charged than other times, perhaps due to the presence behind the glass…

Before she could even blink, he was on her, his hands on her neck, pulling her close to him. He then turned her around, and pressed himself on her from behind, doubling her over the control board, her hands sprawled across the panel in front of the glass window, in plain view of the saiyans beyond. He pulled on her hair, bringing her head back sharply, causing pain to shoot down her spine.

Bulma resisted the urge to scream, and instead bit down on her lip while her hand fumbled around the panel beneath her. Her eyes frantically searched the occupants in the next room, and she could tell they were all standing at attention, Nappa and Raditz staring at their prince, who in turned, was staring right at Zarbon, and the computer started beeping again.

"Let go of me!" Bulma yelled now, as the computer beeps continued to intensify, closer together now…

"Why? You afraid to give them a good show?" He continued to press himself on her, his breath tickling her ear, making her squirm against her will.

"He'll blow the damp ship!" And as she said this, the glass in front of them cracked and the ships claxon's went off. The lights instantly dimmed and the overhead lights started flashing red.

With one mindful fumble of her fingers, Bulma was able to find the button which opened the door to the testing room, and immediately all three saiyans were out the door.

Zarbon released her, and she could finally breathe. But she wasted no time in stepping in between Frieza's most hated henchman and the three volatile saiyans.

She kept her back to Zarbon as she placed both her hands on Vegeta's chest, keeping him from fully engaging Zarbon.

"Not here!" She could see the vein in Vegeta's temple pulsate with anger, his fists clenched together at either side of him. Vegeta wasn't looking at her, but instead over her shoulder at Zarbon.

Bulma turned around to face Zarbon now, and placed her hands on her hips. It was time for a new tactic.

"Are you happy now? You've managed to infuriate my test subjects and now their readings are no good to me. You've just set me back an entire day. Wait until I tell His Majesty!"

Zarbon cocked his head to side and held his hands up, as if surrendering to their little showdown.

"Just remember what I told you, _sweetheart_." And with that, he left, his laughter echoing through the lab until he was out the door.

The two lab tech's quickly ran out the door of the lab, clearly startled by the entire ordeal and leaving Bulma behind, alone with the three saiyans. She brought a hand up to her neck, and knew the spot would be bruised and tender for the next couple of days. And her head, it also hurt where he'd pulled at her hair sharply.

"Fucking asshole…" she breathed as she did her best at ignoring the three saiyans as they continued to stare at her in silence. The ship's claxon had stopped by now, and with it its blaring warning of a possible hall breech, and Bulma briefly wondered why none of the ship's guards had poured into the lab to investigate.

"You have a fucked up relationship with Frieza's favorite vermin." Vegeta finally spoke, and his face was just as hard as when Zarbon was in the room, his anger clearly not subsiding with the lizard alien's departure.

"I don't have a relationship with Zarbon." Bulma complained, while taking a seat. For some reason, her legs felt like jelly and the adrenaline which had kicked in earlier was now subsiding, leaving her with a splitting headache.

Nappa was staring at her through narrowed lashes, as though he understood something for the first time. Raditz, on the other hand, seemed puzzled more than anything, but didn't really care for whatever had just happened.

"Can we go eat now? I'm starving." Raditz began walking towards the lab's exit, unfazed by the earlier encounter with Zarbon, and Vegeta's strange reaction.

Nappa did not move and instead observed Vegeta very carefully. Bulma's hands were shaking now, and she was trying her best to keep her composure under the severe scrutiny of the saiyan prince. He kept staring…

"My Prince?" Nappa finally broke the silence, and Vegeta growled…he growled! Like a rumbling deep within his chest, much like an animal. Then, he turned away from Bulma, ignoring Nappa and heading out the door.

Nappa didn't say anything, but he glared at Bulma one last time and then left as well, leaving her behind to pick up the pieces. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I am in the process of bringing this from another site, but I'm editing as I do so. So I promise you won't have to wait long for the entire story!


	3. Death Sentence

** _Chapter Three: Death Sentence_ **

** _One month before the Great Desertion_ **

Nappa went down first, and soon Raditz was out for the count, leaving Vegeta alone against the rounds of energy volleys coming at random from the surgically white walls. There was no way for him to know when they would come or how many or from where, and so he crouched low on the floor, listening for the little hiss which signaled the oncoming volleys of sharply directed ki aimed at the saiyan.

They had been going at it for weeks now, and every day it was increasingly more difficult to avoid getting hit by the blasts, and even more so, coming out of the training room unharmed. Whatever the woman had invented was damn effective; it was concentrated ki energy which acted just like any of his own attacks, as effective and powerful as a full-on power charge against an enemy.

Vegeta could feel as sweat dripped down his temple and side of his face, pooling at his chin. Absentmindedly, he whipped away the sweat, and that's when the volley's started again, aimed directly at his head, one after the other.

He ducked, rolled stood but was too slow to avoid the unexpected blast to his back, making him wince as he turned to avoid the next one. He jumped back, narrowly missing another blast as he crouched low again. In reality the exercise would not be as challenging if it weren't for the controlled gravity in the room. It was up to 500 times the normal gravity on any planet he'd visited, including his own. It made him sluggish, unable to move as quickly as he'd like. He was blindsided by a blast, and all the sudden the volleys were on him, coming from all directions.

He could hear himself scream as he tried to charge himself with enough power to deflect the blasts, but he just simply didn't have enough energy in him. The final hit came directly to the back of his head, and all the sudden, the world around him faded into darkness.

* * *

"Enough!" Bulma screamed as she tried to shove Zarbon away from the control panels. He had jacked up the power to maximum and cranked up the gravity much higher than the saiyans were used to, up to 800G's.

"Frieza is becoming impatient, _my dear_, I am simply hurrying the process along." He did not budge, and instead smirked as he pressed the computer for another round of blasts directed at the only saiyan standing.

"You are messing up my data! Don't you understand? I'm making tests here, there's a methodology involved, and you are screwing up my test results!" Bulma knew this had nothing to do with her 'tests', but with keeping the saiyans alive. And so, when Zarbon continued to press at the panel, she took matters into her own hands and grabbed the first completed ki gun prototype, aiming squarely at the back of the Zarbon's head and fired. The blast knocked Zarbon forward, but it also did something completely unintended…

The smell of synched hair reached her nostrils before she could comprehend what she'd done. The ki blast at such closed proximity had incinerated half of Zarbon's pony tail…

His hand came up slowly to the back of his head, and time itself stood still for Bulma, her heart beat increasing tenfold and she could feel the cold sweat of fear invade her body.

_I'm dead._

She knew, of all the things she could have done to her most hated adversary, blasting his main, his pride and joy, the source of all his arrogance and pride, was the surest way to get killed. Not just killed, she knew…tortured…made to suffer a slow, agonizing death filled with excruciating pain.

He turned around, and Bulma could see it in his eyes. He planned to kill her, and nothing she could say would stop him. Except…

She held the gun up again, aiming for his head.

"I will blast the rest of you pretty green hair if you come any closer." She warned, and tried to keep her voice leveled when she spoke.

He stood in silence, never taking his eyes off of her, unmoving. After what seemed like a lifetime to Bulma, the computer chirped behind Zarbon, signaling the exercise was over and that the last saiyan was out, unconscious. His cold stare moved away from her to look at the computer monitors. He tapped at the computer a couple of times, then moved away from the terminal, away from Bulma and towards the door. He paused briefly in front of it, and she could see him clenching his fist, but he said nothing and finally excited the control room.

Bulma dropped down to the floor in a heap, grasping for air. She was nauseous, short of breath and she could see dark spots invade her vision. She was having a panic attack, she knew, but couldn't really help as she started sobbing, uncaring of how cold the floor felt underneath her.

After all, she'd just signed her own death sentence.

* * *

Vegeta could hear muffled voices at first, his eyes were still closed and he had no energy to open them. Something touched his arm, and then suddenly, all his senses came back at once. He could hear sharply and open his eyes. The overhead lights were bright, but his pupils adjusted almost immediately. His body did not hurt as much as he was expecting, so he knew instantly he'd receive a shot from the woman. Like the re-gen tank, she'd used similar technology to create a hand held devise which administered the healing components of the tank, directly into the bloodstream. It was not as effective as staying an entire day in the tank, but it was a hell of a lot faster.

He sat up and stretched his shoulder muscles, cracking his head from side to side as if testing out his muscles there too.

The woman was hovering over Nappa now, asking him questions and probing him with her equipment. There was a look of concern on her face, though Vegeta knew she was trying to hide it. He could also smell something else…smoke of some sort, like burnt hair.

He didn't comment on it and instead stood up, ready to be gone from the white room.

"Vegeta, wait." The woman excused herself from Nappa's side and led Vegeta out into the control room, away from both Radditz and Nappa line of sight. The smell of burnt hair was worse in the control room, and he could now see the remnants of a green ponytail…

He arched a questioning brow at the woman, but she shook her head, as though she didn't want to talk about it. She looked frightened, and he could smell fear coming from her.

"Listen, I think Nappa has a heart condition. It's deteriorating…unlike you and Raditz, his ki levels are lowering instead of rising. I'm afraid he won't be able to take much more of this…"

"Well then, I suppose you could stop using us as your guinea pigs for your stupid experiments. We have much better things to do than be on board this space can. It's truly a waste of my time." He was overly spiteful to the woman, but if she was so 'worried' for his comrade, why experiment on them, then?

"You know it's not up to me." She crossed her arms one over the other, as if trying to keep herself warm. She was jittery, her eyes scanning the room, unable to stay focused in any particular spot.

"What did you do, woman?" Vegeta didn't know why he cared to ask, but her behavior was off-putting, as though he never expected her to show fear. It bothered him that she did.

"I synched Zarbon's hair." She confessed, and then tears swelled her eyes. She looked away from Vegeta, and his reaction was more surprising to him than it was to her.

He laughed. It was a low, deep rumble from within his chest. She stared at him, with those impossibly blue eyes, still filled with tears. They did not spill, though, and he knew she was fighting them.

"You better pray Frieza still likes you." It was the only thing that could save her now. Otherwise, he knew she was dead. And surprisingly, the thought of the woman being killed by Zarbon bothered him.

It bothered him quite a lot.

"I need a favor from you." She stated simply, and gave him a small plastic disk, which he took despite not really wanting anything to do with the woman and her plans. It was easy to see she was up to something, but he wanted to believe he didn't care for it; for her tests, or Zarbon's persisting surveillance, nor Frieza's Empire, and how he plans to take over the rest of the known galaxy.

He wanted to be as far away from her as possible, and yet….her smell, her hair, her eyes, her soft skin…he could still feel her, taste her…he could recall being inside her, tasting her mouth...smelling her scent…her _true_ scent.

"When Zarbon kills me. Could you make sure the disk is destroyed?" There was no doubt in her voice, no if's, just the simple truth.

He would kill her; it was a matter of _when_ now.

* * *

Thank you for reading! 


	4. Down the Rabbit Hole

** _Chapter Four: Down the Rabbit Hole_ **

** _Three weeks before the Great Desertion_ **

It had been a week since the incident with the gun and Zarbon's hair. The station had exploded with rumors of how Zarbon had come to sport a much shorter hair style. And so, anytime Bulma made her way through the halls of the ship, all other ship personnel made it a point to stay as far away from her as possible. Her two lab tech's quit on her, despite their fascination with the saiyans.

Rumors of her ki gun had also circulated the station, and so she replaced her older, less advance one for the new prototype, which made her even more unapproachable by all non-ki using personnel. She hadn't seen Zarbon since their last encounter, and she thanked Kami greatly for this. Today was her day off, and so she had gone to the gym, the one used by the non-ki users, and had worked out for two straight hours. Her hair was still pulled back and sweat dripped down her face and neck, and down the valley of her breast. She wore a sports bra and workout pants, so her naval was showing. This wasn't uncommon, thankfully, so she didn't catch attention from it.

As she stepped into the elevator lift, two workers quickly got off, although it was clearly not their stop. Bulma sighted and pressed the button to the upper floor, where her suite was located.

The elevator stalled for a couple of seconds, prompting Bulma to key her floor again. Nothing.

Suddenly, there was a screeching sound and the next thing Bulma knew, the elevator was going down instead. She keyed frantically at the controls, but the lift wasn't responding. When it finally came to a stop, it stalled again, and then it jerked, the doors still closed.

The lights inside the elevator turned red, as though to signal a malfunction of some kind, and then suddenly, the doors opened.

She was on the lower decks.

_Shit!_

Bulma tried the controls again, but nothing. The doors weren't closing and by now, people had noticed she was in the elevator…well, not people; Henchmen, soldiers, disgusting excuses for beings which preyed on species such as hers for their own sadistic pleasures.

"Well, well, well…what's we got here?" She saw a gigantic looking alien walking towards her, with red skin and white hair, wearing the typical uniform of a low-ranking guard.

"Aren't you a pretty thing." Another soldier stepped into view, this one shorter and green, and clearly from a reptilian species.

Bulma placed her hand on the hoister of her gun, and arched a brow to the men as if to say, 'come close and I'll kill you'. But they stared at her and laughed.

More men were pouring into the shaft in front of the elevators and soon there were more than ten, blocking her only way out.

She was toast, for sure, unless she could think of something. Her gun would help bring down a couple, but she also didn't know if the lower levels were ki proof, or how a missed shot could potentially jeopardize the hall integrity of the entire ship.

"Wait a minute…isn't she Zarbon's bitch? The blue haired scientist from up top." One of the smaller humanoids pointed out, this one with horns at either side of his head, his voice sounding as though his nose was pinched.

At the mention of Zarbon, they all simultaneously started closing in on her, and she could tell he was not the favorite of Frieza's followers amongst the men present.

"I'm not Zarbon's pet." Bulma yelled over the murmurs, and she pulled out her gun, pointing it frantically at the incoming men. _Think, Bulma, think!_

But it was hard to think especially as all the brutes made their way closer to her. And then she had a thought, inspired by her would-be assailants’ own comment. Bulma yelled as loudly as possible.

"I'm here at the request of the prince!" This got their attention, and the closest one to her stopped about three feet away from her.

"The prince?" The one with horns and pinched nose questioned, looking to the big red one, as though unsure.

"Prince Vegeta." Bulma clarified, her chest heaving up and down as she pointed the gun from one soldier to the next. If it came to it, she would blast as many of them as possible, not caring if the station imploded as a consequence.

The reptilian looking one starting laughing, and elbowed the man next to him as he did.

"She wants to see the prince! Let's take her to see the prince!"

And so Bulma was led through a maze of corridors, surrounded by huge and small creatures all quite capable of killing her on the spot.

* * *

Vegeta avoided the next punch easily, and brought his own knee to his opponent's chest, hearing the joyful sound of ribs cracking. He smirked, and spat on the face of the now fallen opponent, and turned to look at the rest of the crowed, challenging the next pathetic fool.

"Who's next?" He yelled, but no one moved.

Every night it was the same. Some dirt bag challenged him to hand to hand combat, and every night he broke someone's bones. It was truly his favorite part of the day.

All the sudden, there was a commotion coming from down the hall, and Vegeta could see as the crowed started parting to allow a parade of low-class soldiers and the general filth of the lower decks. Raditz stood up from his spot on the wall, and Nappa came to join him in the middle of the room.

"There he is!" A green creature yelled, his teeth were crusted in a black substance and he could smell the stench of the man's breath all the way from across the room.

The various men parted to allow for the woman to step forward. She was clearly out of her element, holding one of the pathetic guns she'd created, wearing very little.

"She says she knows you." The creature laughed again, and Vegeta decided he needed to kill the scumbag at some point during his tenure on the ship. Perhaps even tonight…

"She says she's your bitch." Another stated, this one larger, with white hair and red skin.

"I never said that!" The woman protested, but then she thought better of it and quickly started forwards and towards him.

"If you're not his bitch, then you're Zarbon's bitch!" Another one yelled, and the woman was halfway across the room when one of her 'escorts' leaped forward, launching himself at her. Vegeta didn't even flinch as the man fell to the ground, his head twisted back a full 180 degrees. Raditz stood over the man's dead body, and growled, making the rest of the men step back.

There was a deafening silence then, and the woman finally came to a stop in front of him.

There were plenty of soldiers and men around the room, probably around eighty or so, and although the three saiyans could take them on, it would be difficult to keep the woman safe while knocking so many losers out. Plus, there was no ki using on the lower decks, and they could easily create a whole on the wall, and breach the entire thing…

Vegeta weighted his options before deciding on a course of action. He grabbed the woman by her ponytail and slammed his mouth over hers, none too gently. He forcefully kissed her, but she didn't really resist much. In fact, she reciprocated quite willingly, and Vegeta had to remind himself this was just for show, and pull away. He threw his arm around her neck and guided her away from the common room and down another set of corridors. He didn't wait for Nappa or Raditz to come and simply kept walking, uncaring as soldiers at either side stepped out of the way to make way for the saiyan prince and his bitch.

* * *

Bulma was led down a couple of more hallways, and for sure she knew she'd never get out of the lower decks on her own. Vegeta stopped in front of a set of double doors and keyed in his passcode. Once the doors were open, he pushed her in, none too gently. The doors closed immediately after he walked in the room.

"What the fuck?" He questioned her, closing the gap between them as he came to stand just inches away from her.

"I-uhh…the lift…it brought me down here. I think Zarbon rigged it." She was out of breath, for many reasons. One of them being his proximity, and another his shiftlessness. And probably the kiss he'd given her earlier, too. Oh, and the fact that she had been seconds away from being torn apart by those scumbags!

"I didn't have a choice! They would have killed me…" She shook her head, closed her eyes and brought a hand to her temple.

"I bet Frieza didn't give him permission to terminate me, so he thought he could do it this way…" Her mind was racing, and she needed to sit down, so she walked to the solitary bed in the room and sat, not bothering asking if Vegeta would mind this.

Vegeta, in turn, just stood in the middle of the room, staring at her, with his arms crossed over his chest. She'd seen him shirtless countless of time by now, but for some reason, her cheeks reddened and she had to look away from him.

_Kami, you're gorgeous._

Her eyes wondered around his room, or rather, the room assigned to him while on the station. In reality, he was entitled to a much nicer suite up on the upper decks, but he had refused, stating he would bunk with his two men. Though clearly it didn't mean in the _same _room.

"So…what now?" She asked, and sat back on the bed, placing her hands behind her as she leaned back slightly, making herself more comfortable.

He stared at her, as thought he was deciding something.

Probably her fate. Bulma gulped.

"What now…" He mumbled and looked around the room. He found one of his shirts, which was disappointing to Bulma, since she'd rather see him shirtless. But instead of putting it on, he offered it to her. It was a black tank top, the ones he'd like to wear when not in his elite gear.

"Umm…thanks?" She didn't question him further and put on the shirt. It smelled of him; of his sweat and his manly aroma she couldn't quite describe. It smelled of rain, or rather, after it rains on a grassy field.

"How long do you think I'll have to stay here?" She asked, not really needing to voice what everyone outside the door thought they were doing.

"Probably the night, or at least until early morning. I'll take you back upstairs as soon as things settle down."

Bulma nodded in response. She felt safe now, which was strange as she was in the beast's lair, if you will. Inside the room of the deadliest of all the soldiers of the lower decks, having a semi-casual conversation with the saiyan prince himself. They had spent so much time together in the past couple of months, and yet never this intimately or alone.

"Will Raditz and Nappa be alright?" She asked, for the first time thinking about the other two saiyans.

Vegeta stared at her but did not respond; of course, they'd be fine! Silly question, really.

"I hope you don't feel we have to hold a conversation the entire night." He moved away from her as he spoke, looking for something on the furthest corner of the room, before sitting down on the bare floor next to the door.

"I'm sorry. I tend to talk a lot when I'm nervous." It was the truth, and she offered him a half smile. He nodded, as though in understanding.

"Do you mind if I lay down on your bed?" She asked, feeling tired from all the commotion she'd just experienced. He nodded again, as if to say go ahead, and so she lay down, turning sideways so she could face him. Her eyes became heavier each time she blinked, and before she knew it, she was asleep.

* * *

Thanks for reading and for the comments! :) 


	5. Death by Pardon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit shorter and is set in the 'present' time, one year after the great desertion.

** _Chapter Five: Death by Pardon_ **

** _Present_ **

She'd been escorted outside where she was asked to sit in front of five humanoid figures sitting behind a long desk. They varied in species; two capiters, a gatrix (a feline-like species, fur included) and some sort of reptilian looking race Bulma had never seen before, or at least recalled.

Her hands were still bound together as she was made to sit, and she could see about two dozen more figures beyond the long table, probably survivors of the desertion.

Guards stood by close to her, and she couldn't see Raditz from her sitting position, thought she wouldn't imagine him to be far.

"Bulma Briefs of planet Earth, do you know why you're here?" One of the capiters, a woman, spoke up first, and Bulma could tell she was older than the rest, probably nearing her seventies in human terms.

"I came to this planet looking for someone." She stated simply. It was the truth, too. She didn't know why she's being held captive, though she had some ideas.

"You are here to stand trial for your crimes against countless races across the known galaxy. As one of Frieza's most notorious collaborators, you have singlehandedly brought death and destruction to immeasurable civilizations. If found guilty, your punishment will be death."

Bulma couldn't help as a chuckle escaped her, and although she didn't mean to seem disrespectful, she knew that's exactly how she came across. Probably not a good thing, if she was on trial her life, and the panel before her, her jurors.

"I'm sorry…allow me to explain." She tried to stifle her laughter, but before she knew it, she was hysterical, laughing so hard she had to hold her sides. This was probably the effect of not being able to sleep well, or the maddening events which had transpired since before the desertion.

It took her a couple of minutes to contain herself, and when she did, when she finally beat the laughter, the weight of the accusation crashed down on her.

"Bulma Briefs died one year ago. She was condemned by the Emperor and sentenced to death. She was proven to be a traitor to his majesties cause and killed by his most feared of henchmen, Zarbon." She stared straight into the eyes of the woman who spoke earlier, her own never wavering.

"But clearly you live." The woman spoke back, undaunted by Bulma's tale.

"Yes, but not before dying first." Bulma rolled her head back, to expose the evidence still marked on her body. Right where her neck had been sliced open, the scar from the blade remained.

No re-gen shot could delete the mark off her, the mark of _death_.

"I understand you have a witness that can attest to this." The woman spoke, before looking down at something in front of her, probably a file of sorts.

"Commander Radtiz?" The woman called the saiyan forward, whom immediately made his way to stand next to a sitting Bulma. He smiled down at her, in his usual half crooked smile, and winked. She hoped this was code for 'don't worry, it'll be alright'.

"Yes ma'am." He nodded to the panel in front of them, and stood at attention.

"Can you attest to Mrs. Brief's testimony? That she was charged and killed for treason against Frieza?"

"Yes ma'am." He answered again, his usual jolly tone no longer in his voice. This was, after all, very serious.

"Then why is she here? Alive?" Another panelist questioned, the other capiter, a male. Younger than the first woman, although not by much.

"Because I revived her." Raditz answered simply, and Bulma had to look up at him…she didn't even know this. She could recall very little of the events, and Raditz never really spoke about it.

"And why did you do such a thing? Didn't she torture you and your comrades? Wasn't she responsible for Commander Nappa's death?" Another panelist, the gatrix, asked. Her voice a soft as a purr.

"Nah…Bulma was simply doing what she needed to do, ma'am. What she needed to do to stay alive. And Nappa was sick, you see, he had a heart condition. It was really a matter of time for him."

Bulma looked away from Raditz then and down to her bound hands. The memory of Nappa's death still made her sad, knowing she couldn't save him.

"And as to why I did it? Well, Prince Vegeta never asked, but I knew that's what he wanted me to do…keep her alive." Bulma managed the courage to look up at Raditz again. Her eyes swelled with tears.

"I couldn't save the heir, though." His tone was low now, as though he'd told the panel his biggest failure.

"The heir? You mean Prince Vegeta?" The older woman asked, sounding as perplexed by the statement as Bulma felt. Vegeta hadn't died…if he had, then why had they traveled half way across the galaxy looking for him?

"No, not the Prince. His unborn child." Raditz stated.

Bulma couldn't help as the tears streamed down her face as the heaviness of Raditz words settled over her, consuming her. It was as though a black pit had opened up from within her…it was a death sentence all over again.

* * *

Thanks for reading! :) 


	6. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has mature content! Major Bulma/Vegita smut ahead! Chronologically, this comes after Chapter 4.

**Chapter Six: Awakening**

** _Three weeks before the Great Desertion_ **

She had fallen asleep almost immediately, and Vegeta was at least grateful for that. Now he just stood guard over her dreams, it would seem. She was restless, he could tell, tossing and turning, but at least she wasn't awake and babbling.

There was commotion of sorts going on in the hallways, and Vegeta could hear as men marched up and down the corridors, hurriedly going somewhere. There was a knock at his door, and Vegeta knew it to be his men. He opened the door, crossing his arms over his still naked chest.

"Zarbon and some of his top elites are down on deck. They didn't say what they were looking for, but I have no doubts it's the woman." Nappa pointed to the sleeping figure on the bed behind him, and Vegeta knew his old mentor was curious as to his actions. Not that he would say it, of course. Nor question him.

"Hmm." Vegeta weighted his options; he could grab the woman and turn her in himself, or he could wait it out and see if Zarbon even made it to his block.

"What do you think?" Vegeta asked Nappa, wanting to get a better insight on the older man's thoughts.

"I think it's your call. Not sure what she is to you…" He didn't except for Nappa to elaborate, but to his surprise, he continued.

"…I guess she's pretty. She treats us nicely." He finished with a nod, a clear approval from his part. Obviously leaving out the part where she also blasted them six out of seven days.

Vegeta frowned…this was definitely not how he expected the conversation to go.

"Well, I'm glad _you_ like her." Vegeta shook his head, and Nappa only shrugged his shoulders. He supposed Nappa was still waiting for the day he took a mate, and perhaps had an heir or two. That's how it would have been, if their home planet hadn't been destroyed.

"I guess she's worth risking it." And with that, Nappa left down the hall, to the room he shared with Raditz.

Vegeta keyed to close the door and turned back to the woman, only to find her blue eyes staring back at him. She half sat up, her hair cascading over the side of her shoulder, reminding him of a waterfall.

"He's looking for me?" She questioned, her voice sounding as though she was still sleeping.

"Yes." Vegeta answered simply, sure she meant Zarbon when she asked.

She stared at him for a quiet moment, her eyes lingering on his face. Her cheeks redden again.

Vegeta smirked, and closed the distance between them. It was like the day he'd first met her, how she looked so tantalizing standing on the balcony, overlooking the scene below. She was fearless, then, not quite as shaken as now.

And yet, she'd managed to blow half of Zarbon's hair off…so clearly not as weak as her ki would suggest.

She sat up now and took a moment to pull at something in her hair, making it come loose and pool around her face. He remembered the feel of her hair against his fingers, and he could still remember the taste of her. Not able to resist, he knelt down in front of the bed and gently stroke a strand of her blue locks.

He could hear her heartbeat, and see as her chest rose with every breath she took. When she exhaled, he could feel her breath on his skin, and suddenly, he couldn't contain himself any longer. He sprang forward, like a lion on its pray, and his lips quickly found hers. The force of the kiss knocked her backwards on the bed, but she didn't squirm nor fight him, and instead brought her hands around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair.

He devoured her mouth with his, finally admitting to himself he'd been dying to kiss her again since he saw her upon his arrival on the space station. She reciprocated his intensity, and he could feel as she relaxed underneath him, her body welcoming his touch. Her arms roamed up and down his back now, and gingerly squeezed the base of his tail, making him wince out loud. It wasn't painful though, quite the contrary, but it caught him off guard.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, but her smile was not apologetic in the least, and once again he closed in on her with his own lips, lapping her tongue, biting her lower lip, his hand roaming up and down her sides and leg, squeezing her buttocks.

Now it was her turn to squirm, and he couldn't take it any more…he needed her naked. Naked, like he'd never seen her before because the only time they'd had sex, it didn't involve removal of clothing.

He sat back and immediately she sat up, putting her hands up, as though she knew exactly what he was up to. With one quick motion, he pulled up her shirt (his shirt) and bra garment in one swoop. She kicked off her shoes. He slid off her pants first and then took his own off.

They were now naked.

Chest heaving, cheeks red, she took her time eyeing him up and down, her lips curling slightly before she lowered herself back down on the bed, her blue hair sprawled like a fan over his pillow. Vegeta hovered over her, not really touching her, but memorizing her milky skin, her pink nipples, the dip of her stomach which led to her perfectly 'o' shaped belly button. Then lower still, to her sex, and he grinned. He lowered himself so he was facing _her, _and parted her tights none too gently with his hands before going in. He tasted her, licked her, lapped her and all the while she drew quick breaths and gripped the bed linen with her hands, her hips swaying up and down, following his rhythm. Soft moans escaped her lips, and he knew she was close…he kept at it, his tongue doing all the dancing…and then he stopped, right when he knew she was closest.

She lifted her head at looked at him all offended, but he smirked and shook his head.

"Tsk, tsk. Not yet." He said, with obvious amusement in his tone.

He made his way back up her body, offering kisses, tracing his teeth along her skin until he found her breasts. He paused there, taking his time to lick and bite each one, enjoying as they reacted to his mouth, perking up instantly. He could see as her hairs stood on end along her bare skin and her hands dug into his hair again.

"Come on!" She was growing tired of his endless teasing; quivering beneath him, her chest heaving….so he entered her. Quickly, wasting no time.

She breathed a long deep sigh and her eyes closed, as though she'd waited an eternity for him to fill her up. And so, he filled her up…he quickened the pace and in response, she wrapped her legs around his torso, bucking her hips as he moved within her. She was warm and wet, and fit perfectly around him. It was maddening, as he filled her up with each thrust, her hands gripping his back, her nails digging into his skin. He could feel it building up inside him…his release. But he didn't want it coming yet, and so he pulled out, once again denying her the ultimate pleasure of her climax.

"For Kami's sake!" She yelled, and slapped him. This made him blink a couple of times before he growled and flipped her over.

"I said, not yet." He hissed in her ear as he entered her from behind, bringing her to her hands and knees. She grunted, as though the position was not her favorite. With one hand he pinned her waist to him, while the other went to find her sex, touching her womanhood, circling his fingers around her arousal. She moaned again, and he could feel her relaxing now, her head rolling back in pleasure. A couple more thrusts and he pulled out again…

He flipped her over but she was quicker than he expected and she straddled him, forcing him to sit with his back against the wall.

"My turn." She said, and he lost himself in her infinite blue eyes. Like an endless sea…

He'd never done it quite like this before.

* * *

He kept stopping just as she was reaching her zenith, so she took charge.

His face was worth infinity as she moved atop of him, swaying her hips, using the wall behind him as leverage…it took him a couple of seconds to catch on, but soon his hands found her hips, bringing her down harder against him, clearly enjoying the ride.

He smirked, and she changed the pace, leaning slightly back and bringing him forward, away from the wall so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

His lips parted and a moan—no, a grunt, escaped his lips. She could tell he felt desperate as she moved, his hands still gripping her waist. Bulma knew she had seconds now, as the burn in the pit of her stomach intensified, him filling her up completely. It was like he could reach her soul from within in her…

…and then, it came; the infinite pleasure as it reached her, and she lost herself in the painfully sweet joy of her orgasm. It was like a tsunami wave….and she could no longer support herself. So, he laid her down on the bed and trusts a couple of more times before he too, was lost in the madness of the moment. He didn't pull away and stayed over her for what felt like an eternity, all the while his breath tickled her earlobe, his hands caressing her bare side.

Her own hands were wrapped around his back, holding on to him. He was still inside her…and for some reason, she didn't think she could tolerate him leaving her…he filled her up so completely...

He filled her.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed! Thank you for the comments/Kudos!


	7. Awakening II

** _Chapter 7: Awakening Part II_ **

There had been another knock on the door, so he quietly ordered her to dress as he did the same. He opted for his official officer uniform and only opened the door when she nodded to him she was ready.

Her blue eyes locked with his, but they didn't say a word.

She looked flushed still, her hair was a mess and he knew she smelled of him…and of sex. It would be like a beacon as soon as they stepped outside, but it was time. Zarbon was closing in, and it would be best if he delivered her himself.

As soon as she stepped out on the hallway, his two men fell in line behind her, with Vegeta taking the lead. The few vermin still out on the hallway quickly scurried away as the trio of saiyans strolled by, adverting their eyes as though they didn't see anything. Vegeta rounded a corner and then the next, but quickly found himself face to face with the green maniacal lizard, and his ridiculous new haircut.

He looked hideous.

Vegeta halted, the woman and his two men doing the same behind him.

Zarbon stared at Vegeta up and down, his lips curling in pure anger before his eyes adverted to the person behind him. He gave the woman a glance over and arched a brow, and Vegeta could tell he wanted to pinch his nose, as though the stench of them hurt his sense of smell. Next to Zarbon stood another Elite guard, one of the Ginyu Squad members. What was his name?

_Jaice_.

"Ms. Brief's, we've been _deathly_ worried about you." Zarbon spoke finally, ignoring Vegeta as he addressed the woman standing two feet behind him.

"Let me guess…there was an elevator malfunction?" The woman quipped, and he could feel as she shifted her weight, probably to cross her arms.

"Yes, a most unfortunate one…though I am glad you're alive and well." The man next to Zarbon snickered out loud, and Vegeta wanted to plunge his fist through his throat and yank out his vocal cords, just so he couldn't do that anymore.

"I have strict orders from Frieza to bring you back safely." Zarbon was speaking to the woman, but staring at Vegeta. His green eyes boring into Vegeta's dark ones, as though challenging him to say the contrary.

"No need to bother with it. I will bring her up to her chambers." Vegeta cocked his head to the side as he spoke, and took a step forward to move past the green lizard. A hand immediately shot out, though not quite touching Vegeta's armor, but blocking his path all the same.

"_I _will be bringing her back." Zarbon's voice was ice thin, and Vegeta could tell he was fighting himself to stay calm. Jaice shifted slightly next to Zarbon, clearly uncomfortable with the entire scene. They were in a very cramped hallway with the only exit back the way they came from.

"Now, now…there's no need to fight. Zarbon, I'm sure you're tired from all your searching, although as you can see, I am alright. I thank you, truly, for your concern…but if you don't mind…" The woman stepped around Vegeta now, smiling up at him before winking and then turning back to the lizard.

"…Vegeta and I haven't finished yet." She smiled again, and grabbed his arm before pulling him along with her, past Zarbon and the other elite. His two men stayed behind…they weren't exactly welcomed in the upper decks. But Vegeta was. And he was wearing his official uniform.

They walked purposely through the hallways and more than once he had to correct her as she made to turn down the wrong hallway.

"You have a terrible sense of direction." He spoke in a hushed tone, as he knew that Zarbon and Jaice walked closely behind them.

"Oh, bite me." She hushed back, still pretending to be leading the way but in reality, waiting for him to direct her, gently tugging her arms in the right direction.

Before long, they had crossed the common room, where she'd been taken to him earlier, and then down the last hallway towards the lifts, were Vegeta pushed for the woman to go faster. There were more elite guards waiting in front of the elevator doors and they looked obviously puzzled as Vegeta led the woman inside the lift, following closely behind her.

"Zarbon would like for you to wait for him." Vegeta spoke and nodded to the guards, and they nodded back, believing the false order. Before Zarbon could round the last corner, he keyed in the upper decks, and soon the doors closed, just in time to see Zarbon's angered face.

* * *

Bulma knew she had a death sentence hanging over her…but now she suspected Vegeta did, too. She had synched Zarbon's hair, and Vegeta the rest of his pride. Their deaths wouldn't be poetic, though, and so Bulma had to make a decision now. Would she let Vegeta in on her plans? Or simply carry out her orchestrated design of events without his consent?

_No, I will not tell him. _The decision was made.

After getting to the upper decks, it was her turn to guide Vegeta through the various corridors until they reached her suite, where she quickly punched in her code and the doors slid open. Before stepping inside, Bulma eyed Vegeta, looking deep into his onyx eyes before placing a finger over her lips as if to see "shhh".

"First order of the day…" By ship standard time, it was close to 0400 hours, and she made her way across the lavish apartment assigned to her, ignoring all the luxuries he clearly didn't have below. Like a private, double jet shower. Her shirt (which belonged to Vegeta) was off, her shoes and pants, her underwear…she wasted no time as she reached the bathroom.

"…we shower." She winked at him, and hoped he understood what she was trying to tell him. He arched a brow and shrugged, undoing his own armor as he followed after her.

She blasted the jets and turned on the hot water as high as she could tolerate it. They were both naked again, and the water pouring all around her was enthralling. Closing her eyes, she allowed the liquid to wash over her, in silence as Vegeta didn't say a word.

She handed him some soap and apologized for the fruity smell. He shrugged, as though he didn't care. After a couple of minutes in silence as they both concentrated on washing themselves, Vegeta finally spoke up.

"Why?" The question caught her off guard, mostly because she didn't know which 'why' he was referring to. Why was she building ki guns? Why testing the guns on the saiyans? Why was Zarbon so obsessed with her and the experiment?

"Why are you here?" She opted for this why, though, as he was probably wondering what _he_ had to do with all of this. He nodded once.

"Because of chess." She answered simply, giving him an apologetic smile for the answer. It was complicated, to say the least, and she had already decided she wouldn't let him in on the plan. He would simply be a consequence of it… and in this way she could keep him alive to fulfill her bidding.

"Chess?" His voice was strained, and she knew he was out of patience. She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The water was pushing down on his gravity defying hair, and he looked comical, though she didn't dare mention this. He didn't pull back, and instead brought his hands around her waist. He'd understood her; they were being watched. She knew her suite was bugged, but the shower jets would drown out their conversations.

"When we met a year ago, I knew very little about you, mostly that you were feared. And that Frieza had a special spot in his evil heart for you." She could feel his body tense, as the mentioned of Frieza clearly brought a negative reaction from him. Like boiling anger. His grip tightened around her waist and she ran her hand down his cheek, caressing his face. It was tender, she knew, and most likely unwelcomed to him, but she didn't care.

"You see, Frieza has been playing chess for a long time. Except on his game board, there's no opposing king. He has his pawns…like the lab tech's and the general non-ki using force, the slave workers in the mines, or the cleaning crews…the expendable, if you will. Then he has his army of elites; his bishops and knights and rooks. Like you, Zarbon…the Ginyu Squad. And then, there is one piece on the board which is more powerful than the rest, than even the king himself…she is the queen. And, sometimes, to win at chess, you need to sacrifice her, usually to take out the opponent’s queen. But this board game only has one king, you see….and perhaps it is time to add another one." Maybe it was the weight of the previous events, down on the lower decks, or the fact she'd slept very little…or how naked they were, in her shower, the warm water pouring over them…she knew she made little sense.

But she was the queen on the universal board game, and Vegeta would be the new king.

"You are crazy." He stated before closing in on her, kissing her. The kiss was as maddening as she felt, but soon their bodies were intertwined together, with the water still pouring and the hidden cameras still watching…and so they gave the ever-watching eye a show.

* * *

She was babbling on about some stupid earthling game of kings, but she was naked and if they were being watched, he wanted to make sure they kept up appearances.

He wasn't sure why he stayed, slept on her bed, shared the same covers. After their shower, they'd gone to bed, naked, and slept. He'd actually dreamt, mostly of his home planet, how the clouds and the effect of the sun made the evening sky glow red. He could recall his father, bending down so he could look him in the eye.

_"One day, you will be King." _His father's words echoed in his mind_._

_Then he was training, with Nappa, back when the older saiyan would annihilate him in practice._

_"Concentrate!" He yelled, blasting him again._

_"You need to see past your anger. You're a saiyan, start acting like one!"_

_And then he was in a sterile white room, and the woman was there with him. She was wearing a black dress, the one he'd met her in the first time, and her lips were painted ruby red._

_"There's only one king in this board game." She spoke softly, and then the room opened up into space, sucking her out…_

Vegeta awoke as an alarm peeped obnoxiously next to the bed. He wanted to blast it to pieces, except the woman shut it off first.

"Urgh…it's so late." She complained, throwing the covers as she almost leapt to her feet.

"_We _are so late!" Her voice was half panicked now, and Vegeta humorously watched as she dressed herself hurriedly, previous dreams forgotten. Once she noticed he was not sharing her panic, the woman paused, mid pant rise, and stared at him with her ridiculous blue eyes.

"You're right." She stated, and took her time in dressing.

"They can wait for us. The entire station can wait for us." She smiled, and moved away from the bedroom. Vegeta sighed before rolling off the bed and wasted no time in dressing into his uniform. The woman came back and offered him a cup of a dark liquid, which he took but did not consume.

"It's coffee." She stated, as thought that was supposed to mean something to him.

"Well…._my_ version of it, anyways." She further explained. Vegeta didn't drink, and the woman just stared at him until finally the awkwardness was interrupted by a chime.

It was the woman's computer console, and she quickly made her way to it. Vegeta took the opportunity as she faced away from him to sniff at the content in the mug. He winced, it smelled retched!

All thoughts of the disgusting liquid disappeared as soon as the woman turned back to him, as pale as the walls of the white sterile training room…

"_He's_ coming. Here. To oversee the final test." There was no need for her to elaborate on who the 'he' was.

Frieza was coming on board.

* * *

Dun, Dun, DUN! Thank you for reading :) 


	8. Pretty Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter also jumps back and forth in the timeline. Enjoy!

** _Chapter Eight: Pretty Little Things_ **

** _Present_ **

Bulma's hands were no longer bound and Raditz knelt beside her, not really looking at her but at the ground. They didn't share any words as the panel of jurors stepped away, presumably to deliberate on her fate.

In all honesty, Bulma had been responsible for creating and enhancing technology which killed millions of civilizations. Of course, she didn't do this of her own whim, but because doing so would keep Earth safe. She wasn't the only one, either. There were countless individuals working for Frieza in the same predicament. And yet, even if the panel found her guilty and sentenced her to death, _again_, she wouldn't hold it against them.

"Bulma Briefs of planet Earth." The panel of five came back, and sat behind the long table once more. The older woman spoke, and Bulma could tell she held the most authority.

"We are not able to reach a unanimous decision and would like more information from you." The woman paused, looking to either side of her before continuing.

"Tell us how you came to work for such a retched being?" There was plenty of distain in the woman's voice, but Bulma understood it to be directed at Frieza, and not her.

"I didn't come to work for him…I was _forced_ to work for him." Bulma clarified before running her hand through her short hair. Her mind was racing with thoughts of how it all started…how she came to be one of Frieza's 'henchmen'. How she came to be feared for her temper, and known as one of the most brilliant and diabolical minds of his army. How she created weapons that could kill without having to blow a single building or eradicate entire cities.

Of course, to them, she was evil, and did evil's doing…but that wasn't the whole story. And now was her chance to tell it.

* * *

** _Five Years Ago_ **

Earth had been overrun in a matter of hours. Her friends never stood a chance against the waves of soldiers.

It was over for them before it had even begun. Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu were the first to go. Piccolo was dead; no more Dragon Balls. Goku had fought the longest and hardest, never giving up, but the Ginyu Squad proved too powerful and he was overtaken. Krillin and Gohan fled, but Bulma never found them after Goku's defeat.

Cities were whipped out, villages and towns incinerated. Millions were killed in just the first day, and by the end of day three, almost seven billion men, women and children were gone. Those left were rounded up; implanted with a small tracking chips injected in the arm, and then forced to work inside massive mines created by the colonizers. Apparently, Earth's raw material was the reason for the invasion, and what was left of Earth's citizens was reduced to expendable miners.

Bulma had escaped, used her inventions to hide herself from Frieza's men. She had cloaked one of her helidomes, a cross between a helicopter and a car, so it would go undetected by Frieza's ground team. After the initial soldiers were done with all the brute force (a.k.a, killing nearly all of Earth's population), the ground crew began extracting everything and anything that could be of value to His Majesty, Emperor Frieza.

Capsule Corporation was hit hard, ransacked completely, except Bulma had made sure to destroy any schematics and confidential information such as how to create capsules. She wasn't able to reach her parents in time, though…

She never did find her father, but she was able to give her mom a proper burial.

Three months after the attack on Earth, and Bulma was discovered. Not by the ground crew or Frieza's soldiers, but by a very peculiar alien named Galox. He'd tracked her helidome and shot it down with a ki gun. Bulma thought for sure she was a goner, but she managed to pull herself out of the wreckage and craw her way to a nearby ditch.

"It's futile, you know." He'd said, right before she passed out.

_Pretty little things_ never lasted long…once found and claimed they were used for pleasure and discarded as soon as they became burdensome…such as needing to be fed. So, the fact Bulma was still alive six months later was owed to Galox.

"I cannot work under these conditions!" Galox all but yelled as he threw a pad at one of the soldiers standing by the entrance of the lab.

"How can anyone expect me to produce results if my lab-tech's are killed every other day by your miserable excuses of guards!" Galox was short, below five feet tall, with elongated arms and legs and an overly large head. He was the sort of alien Bulma expected to see in the movies, gray skin included, and no real gender to speak of.

Galox was rude, obnoxious and very short tempered. But he was also the smartest and most intelligent being in the known universe. And he had given Bulma a job.

Galox had recognized Bulma's intelligence and, since the only other option was for her to be sent to the mines, working for Galox didn't seem so bad. Anyways, Bulma would be better able to get inside information on Earth's captors that hopefully she could use to somehow free her planet…

"Come, Earthling. Come see this." Galox called to Bulma, and she quickly obeyed, leaving her work station.

"Do you see this code? This allows me to intertwine any DNA sequence into the nanos. So, when we engineer the more advance ki guns, they will only work with the species we program." He explained, as he showed her the data. It was almost impossible to understand fully, but Bulma knew enough to recognize the technology was more advanced than anything she'd ever seen, or invented, on Earth.

Within the next few months, Galox crew would go from about twenty tech's to just Galox and herself. Most were dismissed by Galox himself, others were lost to the lower decks of the station…

Galox had given Bulma a very strict dress code. She wore an oversized grey jumpsuit and a cap which hid her blue hair. When walking on the hallways, she kept her head down and only went from her small quarters to the lab and back, escorted by the guards Galox appointed.

On a faithful day, after a very long day in the lab, Galox called to Bulma, his large beady eyes boring into hers as she moved to his work station.

"Come Earthling."

He made her sit next to him and he started showing her solar system after solar system. The computer displayed an infinite sea of stars and planets spread out over thousands of light-years.

"This is Frieza's vast empire." His elongated fingers touched on the computer pad and many red dots came into view.

"These are all the conquered planets."

Bulma's chest felt heavy with the revelation, and she wasn't sure why he was sharing this with her.

"You see, technology was not invented by the Emperor's people, merely taken from one of the conquered planets. _Mine_, to be exact." His lips pressed into a thin line, and Bulma was unsure of whether he was smiling.

"But I was given the honor of being the last of my kind, and alas, my planet no longer exists." He explained.

"Was it destroyed?" Bulma asked, although she knew the answer.

"It would make no sense for His Majesty to have a planet full of very intelligent beings. He kept about three thousand at first, but slowly but surely our species has disappeared. And I am the last one." He tapped the computer and Bulma could see blue dots display across the screen, very near the red dots representing the planets.

"This is the relay system that keeps the planets connected, and Frieza's Empire _informed_." He tapped again, and the computer displayed a chain reaction of sort, as all the blue dots disappeared, one after the other.

"Anyways…I want you to look at these schematics and see what you can do with it." He handed her a disk and then stood, as though the previous conversation had never taken place.

Clearly, he meant to give her a message, but Bulma never had the chance to ask any further questions or inquire, in her own cryptic way, why he'd given her such information. The very next day, Galox was found dead.

With no one left but Bulma, she was appointed to head scientist and given a couple of new lab-tech's as assistants. To her disappointment, Galox’ schematics had not revealed any hidden messages or perfectly laid out plans to bring about the downfall of the entire Empire.

What Galox had given her was an idea…and although he couldn't execute it himself, he showed her the roadmap…or at least the general direction. The key to Frieza's downfall? Blue dots. If she could take out the relay system, then Frieza would be 'flying' blind.

But then, before she could really formulate any sort of plans, Frieza came onboard.

The space station was quickly turned from a random outpost to a buzzing center of activity. Elite guards were now on board, and all the sudden there was a real sense of urgency from everyone to get s_omewhere_…fast. To Bulma, this was the lab, where she worked to finish the first prototype of the ki gun, and to finalize the last of the schematics of the drop-bombs. The latter were design to target life forms without having to destroy entire cities as was customary in a purge.

Frieza found the lab soon enough, guarded by some very ugly looking Elites, including Dodoria, one of Frieza's most despicable of henchmen and aids. He was as ugly as he was evil, and Bulma could feel her heartbeat raise and fear beginning to creep in.

She stood at attention; hands trembling as Frieza all but ignored her as he made his way around the lab. He said nothing as he looked over some of the computer monitors and briefly scanned her work station.

"It really is too bad Galox is dead." He finally spoke, his purple lips curling up into a smile, and a shiver ran down Bulma's body. Not the good kind of shiver, but the type which ingrained fear down to her very bones.

"Hopefully…." He paused, finally taking a moment to stare at Bulma, whom was wearing her usual overly large grey jumpsuit and Capsule Corps cap hiding her hair.

In one swift movement, the cap was gone, and her hair spilled out around her face in waves of blue.

"…hopefully, he taught you enough to continue his research." He finished. Bulma's chest was heaving now, and she couldn't hold Frieza's stare, opting to look down to the floor.

"She's a _pretty little thing_." Dodoria spoke up from near the door, snickering as though this meant certain death for her.

Pretty little things did not last long in Frieza's empire. Bulma understood that to survive, she needed to be the contrary to this, and now was her chance.

"Well, once I'm finish with my prototypes, I'll show you just how pretty and little _you'll _be." She glared at Dodoria, one of the most feared soldiers in the galaxy, and crossed her arms defiantly, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"My invention will be so effective, His Majesty will no longer need _your_ kind." She finished, smirking, trying to portray that she knew something the pink, fat soldier didn't.

Frieza laughed, the sound echoing through the lab.

"What is your name, my dear?" He asked, sounding pleased as he stared at her from just three feet away. Yes, the most feared, maniacal being in the known universe, was but three feet away from her.

"Bulma Briefs, Your Excellency." She added the title for good measures, but if she was honest with herself, she wanted to pee her pants a little right about now.

"And from where does such a magnificent creature hail from?" He asked, his purple lips pressing into a thin line in a smile of sorts.

"Earth." Bulma's voice was hushed now, and a part of her felt she was betraying her entire species by merely speaking of it.

"Earth…._Earth_…" He repeated, as though he couldn't quite remember which conquered planet was Earth.

"Well, Ms. Briefs…if you build me those wonderful prototypes, I shall ensure Earth is rewarded." He smiled as she nodded her head once, accepting his proposal.

Deep down inside, Bulma knew exactly what had taken place in that lab. She'd made a deal with the devil himself, and this would cost her dearly.

"Dodoria, make sure our newest pretty little thing is given proper accommodations and protection. I do not want her harmed in any way. Understood?" And with that, he exited the lab, not even glancing back her way as he left.

And so, Bulma was moved to an even bigger station, given a much more advance lab and more lab-tech's as assistants. She was also given a brand new wardrobe, a lavish apartment which put her mansion back on Earth to shame, and invitations to parties she hated attending but feared to miss.

It was in one of such parties that she met Zarbon for the first time.

Her first impression? G_orgeous!_

His long green hair was tied in a braid, and he wore a head apparel tiara which matched perfectly with his earrings, reminded her briefly of some Greek god from Earth. He also wore a long, light blue cape, and cultural leg and arm-wear. The traditional jumpsuit worn by the Elites was replaced by a unitard instead, and although the entire look could seem too ridiculous, on him it looked regal and classy. But Bulma could tell he was vain, as could his reputation, and she knew he was merciless and one of Frieza's favorites, if not THE favorite. Which meant he was the most evil of Frieza's followers.

Bulma's blue hair was a beacon, though, and as soon as his eyes laid on hers, she knew this would not end well. After all, men such as Zarbon were not used to receiving 'no' for an answer.

"Well…hello there, _pet_." He crooned at her before taking another sip of his drink.

"I've heard so much of this new blue beauty, but for once, the talk of the town does not due justice." He continued, his voice as soft as a purr.

"My name is Bulma." She stated flatly, and turned back to look out the viewing port and into the vastness of space. Stars and planets sparkled in the distance, but her mind was only on one particular planet, somewhere across the galaxy.

"Yes, I know your name." He chuckled slightly, and pretended to be interested in the view, standing next to her in silence.

It was…awkward.

"I think I will go now." Bulma said before turning away from him and towards the exit. A soft, blue hand found hers, though, and turned her around.

"Do not leave yet, my pet. We're just getting to know each other." He smiled, as though he wasn't an evil man, as though he didn't destroy planets or made the weak to suffer before annihilating them. As though he didn't rob entire species of hope.

"No thanks." Bulma responded, and once again turned around, ignoring the beautiful green lizard, not wanting anything he had to offer.

Of course, it would not be that simple; turning Zarbon down would prove to be pivotal to Bulma's very life.

But she continued working, using the roadmap created by Galox as blueprints for genetic targeting weapons, such as the drop bombs used to kill sentient beings without having to use forceful ki.

The bombs were created as a guise; a rouse to get Frieza to approve her next project. And once approved, the ki guns would prove to be Frieza's second biggest mistake.

* * *

** _Present_ **

"So, by working for Frieza, I had access to the best technology and equipment. And with it, in everything I built, in every code I made, I also created a backdoor. And a link." She finished, her chest feeling lighter as she shared the Intel with the panel. The cluster of men and women behind the five jurors still remained, although they never spoke above a whisper. Bulma briefly wondered what they thought of her, though…had she helped destroyed some of their planets? Had the technology she'd created, genetically modified to target particular species, been used to destroyed their civilization?

"Why was making the ki guns so important?" She was asked.

"Because…I could modify them to target particular species, such as the ones the top elite guards belonged to."

  
"And you had the guns shipped to our planet on purpose?" The male capiter asked, his look incredulous.

"Yes. Everything needed to happen in a very specific sequence for the trigger to work." Bulma answered as she shifted in her seat, getting anxious now. They were nearing the part of the story she dreaded telling.

"But what was the trigger?" The older woman spoke, her eyes boring into Bulma's, clearly confused with all the information.

Bulma inhaled deeply, and Raditz placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The act was very un-saiyan like, and it gave her the strength she needed to answer the last question. _What was the trigger?_

"My last heart beat."

And the destruction of a disk…a promise kept.

* * *

Thanks for reading!! 


	9. The Final Countdown

** _Chapter Nine: The Final Countdown_ **

** _48 hours before the Great Desertion_ **

Vegeta had been kneeling for about ten minutes now, and although the position didn't physically hurt him, mentally he was having a real hard time with it. He loathed, with every fiber within him, being called to audience with Frieza. He knew it was done to belittle him, to remind him of how weak he is, how he could never hope to defeat the Emperor. How, as a Prince of a dead race, he was but a speck in the universe's existence.

"I can't say I disprove of it, or else I would have terminated the relationship myself." He continued, pacing leisurely in front of the kneeling Vegeta. He'd been blabbing on about the woman, and an apparent relationship they held. Not that Vegeta could interrupt and say '_We're just fucking'. _And although true, he wasn't sure it was _just_ fucking.

"Just make sure you remember our deal, my saiyan pet." Frieza stopped pacing and knelt down in front of Vegeta, forcing him to lift his head so he could look directly into his eyes.

"_You_ will be the last of your kind. The last Saiyan." FrIeza spoke, reminding him of his promise all those years ago…

As Frieza stood up again, he finally signaled for Vegeta to do the same. He raised slowly, his eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at the man who destroyed his planet, his legacy, and who wished to destroy his pride. Although this last part, he had not been able to manage. Perhaps Fri eza thought the woman was the key to this, perhaps that's why he warned him now.

"And don't get too attached to Miss Briefs. _Her_ kind never last long." He finished, turning away from Vegeta and dismissing him with a careless wave of his hand.

* * *

There would be one last party Bulma must attend before the end. This one was Zarbon's idea, and so it was the most lavish to date. The common room on the upper deck was transformed into a dimly lit lounge of sorts, reminding Bulma of her careless days of partying and going to clubs. There was music and many, many beautiful women from planets ranging across the known galaxy.

These women had to be brought on board recently, she knew, as there weren't that many 'pretty little things' on the space station. Elites and some of the higher-ranking soldiers were already mingling, drinks in hand, sharing war stories and obnoxiously comparing how many innocent lives they've taken.

A server went by with some drinks on a tray, and Bulma grabbed a glass before the server disappeared into the crowed. The drink smelled fruity and Bulma took a sip before she thought better of it. She knew she would need alcohol to get through this night.

Tonight, she wore _the_ dress…the one she'd never worn before in fear of attracting too much attention. It was red, and the front dipped right down her navel, the slit in the front coming up right to her upper thighs. She wore matching red spanks which were part of the dress….a gift from the magnanimous Frieza. Her blue hair was elaborately done in an up-do and tonight she was not shy with the makeup, either. The black eye liner drew up at the end, and her eyelashes were infinite. Her lips were a more subtle color, so they did not detract from her blue eyes. She'd top the look off with the sexiest strappy heels she had ever worn, and a long golden necklace which rested right between her cleavage.

Out of all the inventions in existence, double sided clear tape was still the best on Bulma's list.

She knew many eyes were on her, but no one dared to get close, in fact, many of the men were adverting their eyes, as though it was illegal to even look at her.

She smirked, and relaxed just enough to enjoy the last of her drink. A server immediately came and took the empty glass, his eyes on the floor as he moved away from her.

There was a slight prickling feeling at the back of Bulma's neck, and she had the distinct feeling she needed to turn around.

* * *

The woman stood near the center of the room; a red, divulged beacon which drew him closer while driving everyone else away. She looked fearless, standing as she did, and so he wasted no time in walking up behind her.

She turned around, as though she knew he was coming and smiled, clearly welcoming his presence.

"Had I know being your…" She paused briefly, thinking about the words she'd use to describe herself. “--_lady friend_\--would keep everyone else so far away, I would have been so sooner." She winked at him, and he couldn't help but notice how blue her eyes looked. They were endless, and he could feel himself drowning in them as something tightened in the pit of his stomach. He placed the unknown feeling away, and frowned.

"I can't say I share the same sentiment." He reproached, looking around the room with more suspicions than perhaps was merited. She stood quiet now, and he felt forced to look back at her.

"I'm sorry I've caused you trouble." His words must have affected her mood, as now her tone lacked the playfulness from before.

She got over it quickly, though, because she locked her arms around his neck in a **very **open display of affection he was not ready for. He froze in place.

"Zarbon just walked in." She explained, before releasing her hold around his neck, her hands sliding down his arms until they found his hands. "Come, let's go somewhere more private."

He allowed her to lead them deeper into the room, where they parted the crowd until they reached a semi private corner housing a lazy couch and a couple of seats, all currently occupied. The woman placed her hands on her hips and arched a brow, and the occupants quickly scurried away, heading in different directions.

"Perfect!" She chimed as she took a seat, patting the spot next to her, beckoning him. If he had ever wondered how she survived this long with virtually no ki to speak of, now he understood how. He sat next to her, but kept his gaze away from her face, looking into the crowed.

"I hate these parties…" She commented, as she crossed one bare leg over the other.

The earlier conversation with the purple fuck-tard was not lost to Vegeta, and the warning as he was dismissed still tugged at his gut.

_"And don't get too attached to Miss Briefs. _Her_ kind never last long." _The words echoed in his head. And he had to remind himself that he did not care for the woman's ultimate fate…

…he did not care…

He.Did.Not.Care.

"What will happen tomorrow?" He asked, and he could feel her tense up beside him. He felt her shift on the couch, and could feel her looking at him.

"I will die." She stated simply.

Vegeta snorted, shaking his head.

"That's absurd." And yet, as he said the words, he knew them to be untrue. This…bothered him. It bothered him more than he wanted to admit, and much more than he could stand. His nostrils flared, and he could feel anger seeping through his veins. He wanted to hit someone, really hard, and although he knew this reaction to be irrational, he didn't care.

And then, the woman's hand found his face, caressing him just like she did that one time in the shower….it was an unnerving feeling, to be comforted in such a way…but then…the feeling was not unwelcomed.

"Just remember your promise." She said simply.

And he was reminded of the disk. The one he carried with him at all times.

* * *

They stayed long enough to be around for the toast, and proclaim allegiance to His Majesty, Emperor Frieza. Just long enough for the tyrant to comment on Bulma's amazing appearance, and how pleased he was with her apparel.

Right as they were getting ready to go, Jaice walked past Bulma, and snickered as he looked her up and down, clapping his hands mockingly.

"Bravo, _Princess_. You look…regal." He quipped, just as Vegeta had stepped away from her, distracted by some other Elite guard which spoke to him.

"I can see why you went for Vegeta and not Zarbon._ I _get it." He continued, as though he was sharing a deep, dark secret with her.

Bulma narrowed her eyes, and resisted the urge to cross her arms as the dip of her dress really wouldn't allow it. It would pull apart the double-sided tape for sure.

"Yeah? I don't think Vegeta bends your way." She smiled coyly, and wished her hair was down so she could carelessly toss it behind her shoulder.

"Perhaps not. But maybe, after you've been blasted into oblivion, he'll come looking for some solace." He taunted her, and Bulma had to resist the urge to find one of her ki guns and shoot him in the face.

"Why don't you be a doll, and get lost?" Bulma shooed him away with her hand, turning away from him. This proved to be a big mistake as this brought her face to face with the second most dreaded man in the universe. Frieza being the first, of course.

"Hello, _sweetheart._" Zarbon's voice instinctively sent shivers down Bulma's spine. The type which made her want to vomit. His tiara was different, as were his dangling earrings, and his now short hair was sleekly pulled back with what seemed an excessive amount of hair product.

"I'm sure you're very excited for tomorrow. I can't wait for His Majesty to see our hard work come to be realized." He smiled, as though he truly believed the words.

"_Our_ hard work?" Bulma shook her head, and turn to leave but Zarbon caught her arm none too gently and pulled her to him, so he could speak right in her ear.

"Remember, _darling_. The experiment will only be deemed a success if one or more of your little pets dies." He hissed the words, and Bulma couldn't help as she shuttered and squirmed, trying to break free of his hold.

"Let go of me." She kept her tone down, as there were still plenty of partygoers around, including Frieza, somewhere. She didn't want to draw attention, more than her appearance already did.

"You heard her." It was Vegeta's voice now, thin and strained, and Bulma could see as Zarbon's face twisted in range before the mask of superiority hid his true animosity.

"Ah, well. If she says so." He let go of her, and basically shoved her into Vegeta, who caught her by the waist. Only one hand let go, but the other remained, keeping her steady. If the Bulma from Earth, the one that hadn't been forced to become one of Frieza's henchmen, the careless one who went around collecting Dragon Balls with her friends, if THAT Bulma saw her now…she'd think THIS Bulma was nuts. Being manhandled, and tossed around as if she were a disposable rag; having two very dangerous men fighting over her, like a toy in a playground, being used for the greater evil instead of the greater good…etc, etc.

Earth Bulma would be disappointed, she knew. But Earth Bulma wouldn't have survived this bullshit.

"Let's go Vegeta." Bulma tugged at his arm, turning away from Zarbon and catching Jaice snickering in a corner as she took a step towards the exit. Vegeta did not move though, and she was forced to pause and look at him over her shoulder.

"That's right. Do as your whore tells you." Zarbon turned from Vegeta to Bulma as he spoke, his green eyes boring into hers. There was so much hatred there.

"Don't forget to walk your pet monkey on his leash every once in a while-" But before Zarbon could truly finish his sentence, he was sent flying across the room, until he crashed behind the bar, knocking over bottles and glasses along the way.

He roared to his feet, and the ships claxon's went off, causing immediate panic as the partygoers, most especially the none-ki users, began screaming and shoving each other as they headed towards the exit.

No one wanted to be anywhere near a fight. Especially, when this part of the ship was not ki-proof.

"Stop!" Bulma screamed over the sound of the warning alarms and the screaming of the fleeing, her hand tugging at Vegeta as hard as she could.

Suddenly, Jeice materialized next to her, and shoved an unwavering Vegeta towards the door.

"Go!" He ordered before turning around and getting lost in the crowed, heading into Zarbon's general direction. This forced Vegeta out of his rage, and the stupor he'd seemed to be in moments before. He growled, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the exit along with him.

* * *

Vegeta had lost it, his anger getting the better of him as he punched Zarbon straight in the face. He hoped to bury the dangling pendant of the green lizard's tiara into his forehead, making it a permanent feature of his face. He was now being led by the woman, her heels echoing through the gray hallways of the ship heading for her private quarters.

Before she reached the door, though, he grabbed her by the arm and turned her around, pushing her against the cold surface of the hall.

"What-?" She started speaking as he probably shoved her too hard, but his blood was still boiling, the anger within him guiding his movements.

"Tell me what the fuck is going on!" He growled at her, and slammed his hand on the wall next to her head.

Her reaction, as she flinched and turned her head away from him in fear, brought a sensation of guilt and he forced himself to breathe deeply to subdue his anger. As much as he was angry, he really didn't like how she flinched away from him.

He stepped back from her, until his back pressed against the other side of the wall, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Frieza will only deem the experiments a success if the ki guns manage to kill one of you." She finally confessed, as her endless blue eyes filled with moisture.

Vegeta should have expected this; seen it coming. All this talk from Frieza about the promise he'd made long ago, about how Vegeta would be the last of his kind. And of course, how was the experiment going to end? With one of them dead….it made sense. It would probably be Nappa, he knew, as he was older and weaker now, and his heart condition untreated.

The woman looked down, unable to hold his gaze now. He watched her for a couple of moments, taking in some of the details he'd missed before, such as how perfect her belly button looked and how her breathing would give the impression the dress could come apart yet didn't.

She looked…he couldn't find the words to describe how she looked. He couldn't think clearly, all night, since he saw her standing in the middle of the room, wearing that dress. And then he realized it was the dress’s fault. He needed to think clearly, so he needed to take the dress off her.

"Let's go." He said finally, and moved in the direction of her quarters.

In the last couple of weeks, he'd been there more times than he'd been in his own room. And tonight, in what seemed like their last night together, would be no exception.

He waited as she took a moment to blink away unshed tears before she walked past him and keyed in the code to her suite. As the doors slid close behind them, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him, kissing her before she had time to protest or to say a single word.

She kissed him back, but not like other times where their kisses were rushed, she took her time and urged him to do the same. Her hands rested on his forearms before making their way around his neck, where she lightly tugged at the back of his hair, weaving her fingers through his thick mane.

He felt himself relaxing, and the anger within him subsiding with her touches. It took him a couple of minutes to remember the problem with the dress, and soon his hands turned to the task of removing it. He tugged the sleeves down her shoulders but she squirmed and giggled as she pulled away from his lips.

"Hold on…it's a bit trickier than it looks." She slowly pulled the garment away from her skin, and Vegeta now understood how the dress stayed in place. Now he was able to pull down the dress, which pooled at her feet and left her in nothing but her panties. She still wore the heels as she moved away from him, heading towards the bedroom, her hands untying her hair so it would come lose. He watched her move away before following after her, quietly walking up behind her. She removed her heels and panties, and turned around so she could face him, completely naked.

She waited patiently as he rid himself of his clothes, her eyes never leaving his, her lips flushed from their previous kiss. He closed the gap between them, kissing her again.

As they had their way with one another, intertwining their bodies, filling the space between them with fluttered kisses and touches, until finally one ended where the other began, it was then Vegeta realized just what was the sensation he'd felt all day. What made him so angry before and so overwhelmed with the woman's presence earlier. What he'd felt all day…

He_ felt._

* * *

Bulma breathed deeply as she laid her head atop his chest, her fingers lightly tracing his lower abdomen until she knew she had every single muscle there memorized. She didn't want the night to end…partly because she expected this to be her last, but mostly because she would miss him.

She hadn't expected this…and yet…she was convinced they'd just made love. Unlike any other of their encounters, this was…deeper, and way more real than she could put into words. No that she would, put her feelings into words. Not to him, anyways.

"You would have liked Earth. It's a rather blue planet…vast oceans all around." She spoke lazily from atop of him, her fingers still tracing his form. One of his arms was resting at the small of her back, and the other was casually tugging at a renegade strand of her blue hair.

"I remember going all around the globe looking for Dragon Balls with Goku…" She spoke the name out loud for the first time in years, bringing happy memories to mind.

"Hrm.." Vegeta didn't seem quite so interested in her stories, but he wasn't telling her to shut up, so she continued.

"He was a Saiyan, you know." She'd figured that out as soon as she learned of Vegeta, realizing that the boy with the tail she'd met all those years ago was from an alien planet.

"Saiyan?" This caught his interest, and he shifted slightly as he lifted his head to look at her.

"Yes…he had a tail, just like yours, and once turned into a giant ape…we had to destroy the moon temporarily, but then had to wish it back with the dragon balls…too many typhoons." As she said this, with all the casualness in the world, she also smiled at the memories.

"Kakarott." Vegeta said, interrupting her thoughts of home.

"What?" She asked, not sure what it meant.

"His saiyan name is Kakarott. He's Raditz brother." At the revelation it was Bulma's turn to raise her head.

"Well…yeah…now that you say it, Goku looked so much like Raditz." What were the odds of that?!

  
"Looked?" Vegeta questioned, and Bulma was reminded of her friend's untimely death. "Yes…during the invasion. He fought so hard, but there were just too many. He was overtaken." She didn't want to be reminded of sad thoughts, so she didn't let her mind rest on the issue. Instead, she realized something else of importance.

"He had a son, Gohan. He might have survived. I was never able to track him down but perhaps he's still alive…Raditz could have a nephew on Earth." It was odd, thinking of Gohan as Raditz' relative.

"When this is over, maybe you can go visit Earth. Find Gohan…" She suggested, as she rested her chin on his stomach so she could look at his face.

His hand still lingered near her hair, his fingers threading her locks.

"Hmmm." It was a maybe. He seemed to be thinking about it and it made her happy, for some reason.

"A demi saiyan on Earth….who would have thought our species could breed?" Bulma asked, not really expecting an answer.

"We can't breed. Frieza would never allow it." Vegeta stated, as though it was obvious this was the case.

"Well, not with _me_." She clarified. She was hours away from meeting her maker, so clearly she was not going to be baring any children. But maybe, he could meet a nice looking Earthling…someone suitable for a Prince, of course.

"No, not at all. I will be the last of the saiyans." His tone was so absolute it made her shiver as finally she understood the heaviness of it. She'd heard this before…from her old mentor Galox…how he'd been the last of his species.

"Well…" She sat up so she could look at him properly, and smiled as to not allow their mood to be dampened by such a tragic finale.

"…I would've had your children."

"They'd be hideous." His plain response made her chuckle and she halfheartedly battered his hand with hers.

"Na ah! I have superior human looks, I'll have you know. And with your royal saiyan bloodline, our children would never be ugly."

The conversation followed the same sort of line, as they bickered back and forth about their imaginary children…the one's they'd never have. And as they finally fell asleep, Bulma felt, for the very first time since she began her plot of the Emperor's destruction, she felt something other than dread, regret, hate, sadness; more than desperation or rather, the desperate sense of being unable to change her own destiny.

She felt…hope. She felt love.

She felt _loved_.

* * *

OMG, this is one of my favorite chapters. Hope you enjoyed! 


	10. The End Pat I

** _Chapter Ten: The End Part I_ **

Vegeta stood outside the hanger doors, his hands crossed over his shoulders, standing next to his two subjects.

Raditz looked down at his nails uninterested and Nappa stood at attention, eyes narrowed as they waited. The woman had told them to meet her here, and they'd been waiting for what seemed an eternity until she finally arrived. She was pushing a cart and smiled as soon as she saw them.

"Sorry for my delay, but these are heavier than I expected." She uncovered the content of the cart by removing a white cloth cover and smiled proudly as she did.

"Ta da!" She waved her hands towards the cart, clearly excited.

Raditz was the first to move closer to inspect the woman's creation, eyeing the three chest armors with no apparent sign of displeasure.

"Nice!" He said, as he picked one of the two larger ones, clearly knowing it was for him. They looked sleeker, with golden edges and lines lining the otherwise white surface.

"Let me see." Nappa moved over to inspect the armor as well, eyes narrowed slightly as he picked his up.

"Light…but solid…" He put his armor on and stood up taller, as though his chest had been inflated.

"Well, yours is special, Nappa. It has a thicker shield right here." She knocked on the chest plate, right above his heart before winking at him. Vegeta could see Nappa's cheeks redden, something he'd never seen before in his lifetime. Was Nappa, Commander of the Siayan Planet, First Class Elite and royal trainer to the royal bloodline… _blushing_? Vegeta frowned, and shook his head at his old mentor as though displeased.

"What about mine?" Radtiz complained, eyeing his armor up and down as thought trying to figure out what was special with it. The woman smiled and signaled for Raditz to bend over so she could tell him in secret. His face suggested he was puzzled…but then again, to Vegeta, Raditz was a moron and always looked this way.

"Well…I guess that's special." He didn't sound convince but shrugged, and put the armor on.

"Don't you want to see yours, Prince Vegeta?" The woman asked as she turned to him, one hand on her waist while the other held the handles on the cart she had wheeled.

Vegeta avoided her eyes and instead concentrated on the armor as he walked closer. The chest plate did not have the elongated shoulder pads Frieza's men were known for. Instead, she'd made them sleeker and simple, and not overly flamboyant like the rest. He also noticed something imbedded in the white surface, and traced his gloved fingers along over the small crest right in the middle of the plate.

"Nappa said it was the royal crest from your home planet." She explained softly, as they both stared at it. It really couldn't be seen, probably to ensure Frieza didn't see it. But he knew it was there…

Vegeta nodded once, and the woman smiled, her blue eyes glossing somewhat. But then she clapped once, shaking off any uncertainty before she spoke again, her tone suggesting excitement.

"Alright, gentlemen! Let me run you through the course. The hanger bay has been turned into an obstacles course. There will be the automatic ki guns as well as men firing at you. You can…" she paused, and made a gesture with her hand across her neck, signaling they could eliminate the live targets. "…but no ki using! Remember, you keep your levels down to defensive levels…nothing offensive. This area does have a shield, but not if you go full out." She stared at Raditz sternly, as though she knew him to be the wild card.

"Your objective is to simply stay standing, if you go down…the guns will continue firing at you until you either get up or die." Once finished with the explanation, she paused.

"Well…I guess it's time." She said after a couple of silent seconds, looking to all three, one by one.

"I suppose this is goodbye." She continued, smiling at Raditz as he very oddly patted her head. When she looked to Nappa, her eyes watered. He, in turn, did the last thing Vegeta ever expected his old mentor to do.

He placed a closed fist over his heart and bowed his head.

The woman smiled softly and tried to do the same, closing her fist over her heart but Nappa stopped her. "Royalty doesn't bow." He said, and it was the woman's turn to have her cheeks redden. She wouldn't know this, but Nappa's tribute meant he thought her to be Saiyan royalty, and truly unexpected coming from his old mentor.

The woman turned her eyes on him now, the endless blue orbs he'd been avoiding earlier finding him, and he could not look away. She didn't say anything, there was very little left to say.

He nodded to her once and she did the same.

This was goodbye.

This was the _end_.

* * *

Bulma paused before walking into the control room, ignoring as Dodoria and Zarbon both turned to look at as she entered. Frieza was already sitting front and center in front of the large viewing window, his hovering chair taking up most of the space. Bulma bowed to Frieza before taking her seat in front of the large control panels, and took a deep breath before she began the starting sequence.

"What is _that_?" Frieza asked, looking around the room, clearly annoyed.

Bulma looked back to Zarbon and Dodoria, but they both shrugged, so she turned her attention to Frieza, raising a brow.

"What is what, Sire?" She asked, not sure what he was referring to.

"That…fluttering sound. Can't you hear it?" He asked, eyes narrowing as he stared at Bulma. Out of everyone in the room, she was the least likely to hear anything out of place, but she took a stab at it none the less.

"Perhaps it's the equipment…I initiated the starting sequence…" She suggested, and waited for Frieza to wave dismissively to her so she could continue.

The hanger bay beyond the glass had heavy metal crates of varying sizes randomly placed as temporary covers and hiding places. There was also a thick net hanging from ceiling to the floor dividing the space, and minimal lighting except of the overhead red lights flashing on and off. The guns were designed for solders to easily overtake the enemy in cramped quarters, with minimal damage to be done to the landscape or building, while targeting specific species. So, the final experiment was meant to simulate one such scenario. This, however, was a direct contrast to Frieza's usual modem operandum...destroying everything by blowing it up.

"Commence!" Frieza yelled somewhat unexpectedly, and Bulma wasted no time in pushing the large, red 'ON' button. Frieza looked annoyed, more so than usual, and Bulma needed to stay focus on this last part.

It took a couple of minutes to see movement from within the hanger, but soon enough, ki volleys were being fired consistently and repeatedly, in three different directions.

"They spread out." Zarbon hissed from behind her, coming to stand near her chair. Bulma kept her gaze even on the events transpiring beyond the glass, but in her mind, she kept thinking about the ki gun she'd hidden underneath the workstation. And how she planned to use it.

Guards stepped out from their hiding places and began shooting at the Saiyans as well, joining the automatic volleys. She could see from the monitors in front of her that Vegeta was moving the fastest, the ki volleys hardly ever connecting with him as a target. Nappa was clearly lagging behind, and he was receiving the most hits. Raditz was doing well for himself, and was only slightly behind Vegeta's pace. Additional to the green dots which signified the Saiyan's ki signatures, there were the red dots, or the guards with the ki guns. Three had already flat lined, and Bulma could see from the monitors as they were retrieving further away from Nappa, Vegeta and Raditz.

"_Sweetheart_… be a doll and increase the guns power to max?" Zarbon spoke next to her ear and did not wait for her to answer as he tapped at the controls to signal the computer to increase the power.

"It wouldn't be wise to do that yet." She hissed at him, but she really had no choice on the matter. The volleys were also increased in speed as well as intensity, causing the Saiyans to stall longer along the course. And then, Nappa's green dot was no longer moving and began flashing.

Dodoria laughed from his place next to Frieza, clearly enjoying watching the saiyan's imminent demise.

"Como on, Nappa…" Bulma breathed, her eyes focused on the flashing green dot, knowing well he was in trouble. Red dots were closing in around him and the ki hits kept mounting on his screen. Then one of the other green dots joined Nappa's…Raditz… and two of the red dots flat lined.

"Boohoo!" Dodoria screamed as he watched, disappointed the Saiyan's were still winning.

"What a piece of shit! If they can't take down a measly saiyan, then the weapons are crap!" If Dodoria had popcorn, or some other cosmic version of it, he would have thrown it at the large glass panel in protest.

"Perhaps Dodoria has a point?" Quipped Frieza, without turning to face her. She knew he watched her out of the corner if his eye and so she concentrated on the screen before her. Why wasn't Nappa's power level raising? She'd given Raditz what he would need…and yet…the blimps of the flashing green light were further apart now.

"They work." She said finally, though rather weakly and barely above a whisper as her eyes remained fixed on the flashing green dot. Her plan was meant for the experiment to fail, for no saiyan to die. Dodoria was right…the whole thing was crap. And if the saiyans survived, then she was a failure and her execution would be eminent. And yet…

The green dot continued to flash, slower and slower…until…

…

Flat line.

Bulma couldn't help as tears ran down her cheeks. She resisted the urge to wipe them away in the hopes that no one had noticed them.

"Finally! At least one of them is dead…" Dodoria grumbled but Bulma could sense Zarbon staring at her. He'd notice.

"Perhaps we should continue until another one dies." Zarbon suggested, causing Bulma's stomach to churn.

"It's not necessary. Why would you kill a perfectly good soldier when we know this works?" Bulma questioned, although she knew her argument was weak. Not because it wasn't true, but because the men in the room didn't care.

"There! _There!_ Do you hear it?" Frieza interrupted, questioning again…still obsessed with whatever the sound was.

Bulma, Zarbon and Dodoria all stared at Frieza, not quite sure what he meant.

"Hmmm…" Zarbon stepped closer to Bulma, though, and bent down as if to take a whiff of her. Bulma drew away, her hand instinctively reaching underneath the panel, searching for the weapon she'd hidden.

"Oh, my little pet…" Frieza stood now and hovered closer to Bulma. She was surrounded; Frieza to one side and Zarbon to the other…and her hand came out empty in its search.

There was no gun.

Dodoria giggled from somewhere else in the room, and she could hear as her ki gun was broken in half and then tossed across the room.

"Of all the ways to commit treason…you picked the worst kind." These were Zarbon's words, and they would be the last thing she heard before a sudden darkness consumed her.

* * *

Vegeta's growl came from somewhere deep inside him, a place he feared tapping into as it held all the darkness within him. But the growl escaped almost without permission as he felt Nappa's ki drop until he could not be sensed anymore. Raditz had gotten to him, though, but perhaps not soon enough.

Vegeta was basically across the room from Nappa and Raditz, and he knew there were guards closing in on him with the guns. Although he wanted to believe the guns didn't hurt, nor slowed him down, he knew it was not true. They hurt like shit, especially the volleys. He ducked behind a large metal crate and waited as two armed guards walked past him before jumping up behind them and smashing one against the other. They dropped with a loud thud, but Vegeta had no time to calculate the next move as the volleys started up again, coming from all directions.

If he could power up and use his own ki to shoot back, this wouldn't be so difficult. But of course, the odds were stacked against the saiyans, the entire process rigged just so they could fail.

Vegeta unleashed a scream, a battle cry as he jolted up and across the room with as much speed as possible. The volleys impacted the floor right as he moved, missing him by mere inches. A guard popped out from behind a metal box, pointing his gun straight at his chest but had no time to shoot as Vegeta jumped in the air, and the volley aiming for him missing the saiyan but striking the guard.

"Argh!" The masked guard yelled, as he was thrown back a couple of feet by the blast. Vegeta kept moving, knowing the volleys would be on him soon but as he moved past the guard, he was thrown off balance as the guard grabbed his ankle. He fell to the ground but quickly turned over to avoid a volley and dove behind one of the metal crates.

The guard had dropped his handheld weapon, and Vegeta had the fleeing though of grabbing the gun and using it. But then, wouldn't that be counterintuitive to the tests? In fact, the whole thing was a cosmic joke. The woman had created technology that could virtually kill or at least harm ki-users. Then, in order for her invention to be considered good, she needed to kill one of the saiyans. But she'd made a special armor for Nappa, to give him more protection. Why would she do that? And then, why did she need to die?

"Makes no sense." Vegeta breathed out loud, as he looked from around the metal crate, knowing he needed to move before to volleys caught up to him or the guard was on him again. Vegeta peaked from the metal crate but the guard wasn't where he'd last seen him.

"My thoughts exactly." The voice was familiar, and coming from the masked guard just a couple of feet away from him. There were patches of skin not covered by the uniform and mask, and so Vegeta could notice the red skin underneath.

"Jeice." Vegeta hissed, and got ready to throw himself at the Ginyu member, except he took a seat next to Vegeta, hiding behind the metal crate with him.  
"Why would _she _go to all this trouble in making something the Emperor will have no use for?" He asked as he removed the mask, his white hair falling out around his shoulders.

"The ki bombs _I get_. But the ki guns?" He shook his head, as though they were having a casual conversation while taking a stroll. Vegeta only spared a second to glare at Jeice before peeking over the metal crate in Raditz and Nappa's direction and ducked as he narrowly missed a volley.

"Well, it was nice chatting with you…but if you don't mind…" Vegeta crouched low as he got ready to sprint across a semi-open part of the bay, knowing the volleys would aim for him immediately as he was out in the open. He didn't really want to think about Jeice's words, although he was voicing some of his own thoughts and questions…and why did Jeice care anyway? In fact, hadn't he intervened in some way the night before as well? After he'd punched Zarbon…?

"I know what you're thinking. Why is Jeice even talking to me now?" He asked, as though he were speaking Vegeta's thoughts out loud.

"The answer is….I _don't _get it. I was sent here to investigate Bulma as a possible traitor…except she's done exactly what she said she was doing. Save for the armor…I don't think she got permission to do that." He looked perplexed as he sat with his back to the crate with what seems like no care in the world, as though they weren't participating in a real combat scenario. All the sudden, he raised his gun and shot just past Vegeta's head, striking down a guard a few feet away.

"I think she plans to die, and when that happens, something will be triggered." He concluded, nodding his head as he focused his eyes on Vegeta.

"I need to get to Nappa." Vegeta didn't have time to think of the woman now, or to entertain Jeice's thoughts. It was all irrelevant at the moment. He was tempted to punch him as well, and knock him out, but the Ginyu member was stronger than most other guards and so far he hadn't really engaged him.

"He's already dead." He stated simply, and Vegeta couldn't help as the anger boiled inside him. But before he could act upon his next move, which was to claw out the Ginyu member's eyes out, Jeiced aimed the gun straight at him and fired.

* * *

Thanks for reading!! 


	11. The End Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains violence and is meant for mature audiences! And, no, this is not the end, just the name of the chapter :)

** _Chapter 11: The End Part II_ **

Vegeta awoke suddenly to find Dodoria's pink hideousness staring down at him.

"I never thought I'd get to see the day you get exactly what you deserve." He hissed down at him before stepping away, allowing Vegeta to sit up. He was in the infirmary, and there was no sign of Raditz or Nappa. Any questions he had were clearly not going to be answered by Dodoria, the only other person in the room with him, who still held and empty re-gen shot cartridge in his hand.

"Quickly now, the Emperor does not have all day!" He hissed as he moved towards the door as he threw away the cartridge and waited for Vegeta to follow after him.

Outside the door there were other guards waiting, holding ki guns.

"What is this?" Vegeta's voice felt strained, his eyes narrowing in reflection of his anger and confusion.

"You are no longer Frieza's favorite pet monkey." Dodoria's smile turned into a sneer after he said this Vegeta knew then--without a doubt--he would kill Dodoria today. Even if it took his last breaths.

Vegeta finally stood, still wearing the armor the woman had made for him and followed after Dodoria, the two guards falling in behind him.

He was taken to Frieza, the purple emperor hovered staring at the vastness of space beyond the large glass panel. They were in what everyone on the station called the ceremony room. He'd been there a couple of days before, where Frieza reminded him of his promise that he’d be the last Saiyan. Perhaps it had been realized. Perhaps both Nappa and Raditz were dead and he was the last of his kind.

Thoughts of the woman crossed his mind then, as he was forced to kneel down in the middle of the room by an unexpected shove from one of the guards. She was not in the room, and neither was Zarbon…

"I am disappointed, Vegeta." Vegeta had heard Frieza's cold tone before. It usually meant someone was going to die. There was no playfulness, no elation in his words.

The doors hissed open behind him, and Vegeta had to resist the urge to turn and look.

Jeice quickly came into his peripheral view, and Vegeta's lips tightened. He held so much anger, hate and disgust for the people in the room; he could feel his breathing uneven as he desperately tried to control himself.

"My disappointment, however, is not aimed at you. Not completely." Frieza spoke again, distracting Vegeta's thoughts on how he planned to dispose of Dodoria _and_ Jeice before Frieza intervene, having just decided to kill Jeice as well. The door hissed open again, and he heard the woman before he saw her, shrieking as she was dragged by her long blue hair until finally Zarbon released her before shoving her further inside the room.

The woman wasn't wearing the same clothing as before when he saw her before the final test, and instead wore a white dress…the fabric he'd seen before. It was worn by those to be executed.

"I thought it'd be fitting for you to be here." Frieza explained, and for the first time turned to face the occupants of the room.

The woman gulped in deep breaths before she was able to right herself, still sitting on the floor. Zarbon looked to her with disgust before turning to Vegeta, his eyes narrowing instantly.

The anger within Vegeta pounded harder and harder with each heartbeat, and he couldn't bring himself to look away from the green lizard. He would kill Zarbon first. Then Dodoria. And then Jeice.

"Zarbon…you wanted to do something before…" Frieza didn't finish the sentence but Vegeta knew how it ended.

They would execute her. In front of him, because they assumed there'd be nothing he could do about it. He allowed the anger within him to ebb inside of him, taking him to the very brink of the abyss of his dark soul, where he waited for the perfect moment to unleash it.

But then his dark eyes met her blue ones, and he was reminded of his promise.

* * *

Bulma was cold and she could feel as her hairs stood on end. The only solace of her current predicament was having Vegeta there in the room. She knew it was a selfish thought, though, having him watch her die…but at least she wouldn't be alone. She kept her eye contact with him as Zarbon came up from behind her and grabbed a handful of her hair again. He pulled her head back sharply, making her wince in pain.

That's when she noticed the sharp blade in his hand.

"You see this? This is a ceremonial blade from my home planet…" He waved the blade in front of her eyes, too close, really, for her to take in details beyond the very sharp edge.

"…you should feel lucky... I've been waiting for a worthy enemy and you have proven yourself so." He tugged harder at her hair and brought the blade close to her scalp and began to shave her head with it. The sharp edge would catch her skin, causing her to bleed and cry out in pain the first couple of times it happened.

Pretty soon her dress was covered in droplets of blood, and she could see as her long blue tresses fell to the floor around her. Tears ran down her cheeks but she tried hard to hold any loud sobs now, not wanting the men in the room to have the pleasure of her shrieks. Once he was done, he shoved her to the floor again and she fell forwards hard against the marbled floor. There was red blood and blue hair mixed together all around her, sticking to her hands as she tried to right herself again.

"You could have had anything you ever wanted with _me_. –I- would have made you a true princess!" Zarbon yelled down at her, his fists closed hard in anger. Bulma knew it wasn't about her; it was about whom she'd chosen over him. Such was his vanity…

"Sorry…I don't like pretty boys. I like _real_ men." She knew this would anger him, but she didn't care. He could never break her, as he'd hoped, and he wouldn't have the satisfaction in the last moments of her life, no matter how painful the consequences would be.

"Argh!" He screamed before kicking her in the stomach so hard, she was thrown clear across the room, landing hard on her back, her head hitting the marbled floor.

Bulma could see dark spots in her vision, and it took her an eternity to regain her breath after she landed. The pain in her stomach, though, was insurmountable, and she was sure she had internal bleeding. She felt her own heartbeat as it pounded against her chest, it was so loud it drowned out any other sound. No longer could she hear Zarbon as he continued to yell his insults, or Dodoria's laughter, though she could see his smile. Vegeta looked distorted to her, as though he was being stretched in varying directions.

She thought she'd heard Jeice's voice, and then Zarbon's, but she wasn't sure.

"…just…on…with it."

"…take…time. Leave…want."

After what felt like forever, her hearing came back again, just in time to hear Frieza speak.

"That damn fluttering! I don't want to hear it anymore!" He yelled, and Jeice and Zarbon looked away from one another to stare at her.

Apparently, the fluttering was coming from her.

She was dragged back to the middle of the room by Zarbon, who held her up so she could stand.

"Bulma Briefs from Planet Earth, you have been found guilty of treason against the Emperor and your sentence is death." Zarbon hissed the words next to her ear as he held her close against him, violating her with his proximity.

"Any last words? Hmmm? Perhaps you'll like to say goodbye to your pet monkey?" He moved her so she could look to Vegeta's general direction, and she could tell the saiyan prince was seconds away from exploding and possibly getting himself killed. She didn't have the strength to speak, but she was able to mouth the only word that mattered…

_Promise._

Their eyes locked and there was a brief moment of clarity within Bulma. She knew she would die, but she also knew, somehow, that it would all work out. She thought of the night prior, of being in Vegeta's arms, of his touches and kisses, and endless caresses. She thought of love and family, and everything that made her Bulma Briefs. Of dragonballs, and tournaments, and adventures with Goku and the silly arguments she had with her ex, Yamcha, and her inventions, and blue skies from Earth…her life happened in a couple of seconds, her life before Vegeta, her life after meeting him…

…and then she felt the sting of the blade as it slid across her neck.

* * *

Zarbon slit her throat with the blade.

He watched the blood. He watched her fall to the ground and he felt as finally the fluttering within her ceased…the heartbeat of his unborn child, preceding the last of her own heartbeat.

He'd taken the small disk from where he'd stuck in inside his armor and he'd crushed it, destroying it entirely.

He kept his promise.

And **_then_**, he unleashed his anger.

* * *

Thank you for reading! 


	12. The Last Witness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts in present time but jumps back and forth to the moments leading up to the 'great desertion'. Hope you enjoy!

** _Chapter Twelve: The Last Witness_ **

** _Present_ **

There were quite a few of the men and woman standing around the long desk who were wiping away tears. Bulma herself knew she looked a mess as she couldn't prevent the stream of tears, or her nose from running. At some point someone had gotten her a tissue and she was able to blow her nose.

"As a matter of fact…" she hiccupped between tears, "… a human's heartbeat can be perceived three weeks after conception. I didn't get it until now…but that's the fluttering Frieza kept hearing." Bulma sobbed. She didn't understand it until Raditz had revealed her pregnancy, and that's why they killed her. It wasn't because she'd build an army of ki-guns and weapons that would end up challenging Frieza's Empire, or the fact that while she 'experimented' on the saiyans, she actually had them train in a gravity room setting where each time they used it, they got stronger and stronger. Or the special armor she'd built…**_no_**. She was executed for none of that. Instead, her treason against the Empire was determined by the one thing she didn't really plan for.

The one thing she couldn't really control.

Talk about galactic sexism!

She was executed for getting _knocked up_.

"I'm afraid I don't know much else about what happened. I just remember seeing a bring light…I always thought death brought darkness, but it didn't. There was so much warmth around me. I felt safe as I drifted…"

… She remembered being at a beach with bright white sand and crystal-clear water. She was wearing the white dress, but it wasn't stained with her blood. Her hair was waving in the wind. There was a child next to her, but she couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy. It kept changing; sometimes it had dark hair, sometimes lavender, the facial features also changed. It was undecided. But it was a child and it took her hand.

They walked together along the sand until they reached a house. There were people having a lovely barbeque. And then she realized she knew the people. One of them was her mother, whom waved at Bulma excitedly.

_"Yoohoo, dear!"_ Her mother's smile was as bright as ever, and Bulma felt so much joy at seeing her again. Goku was there too, with Yamcha, Tien and Chiatzu. Most of her friends! Even Chi-chi, who looked just as happy to see her as everyone else.

_"Come little one…let's go home."_ She told the child, but the child shook its head and released her hand.

_"Oh dear, you can't come yet. It's not your time."_ Her mother's words drifted in the wind, and the child materialized in her mother's arms. Goku and Chi-chi looked sad now, and thoughts of Gohan crossed her mind. He wasn't there. And neither was Krillin or her dad.

_"Tell your father I miss him, dear." _This was the last she heard her mother say, before she was pulled back from the brightness and warmth.

* * *

Having nothing else to add to the story, the panel of jurors turned to Raditz with their questions.

How had he survived?

How come he couldn't save Nappa?

What happened after Bulma's death?

* * *

Raditz had gotten to Nappa in time to save him. The woman had told him what made his armor special and he'd understood what he was supposed to do. She'd somehow embedded two re-gen injection tubes to his armor, just like the one's she would use to revive them after the tests she'd done with the ki guns. Except these were the same white color of the chest plate and if she hadn't told him about it, he would have never known and just thought of them as decoration.

He now sat next to the commander and was getting ready to inject him when Nappa spoke up.

"Don't…It's a waste." Nappa refused Raditz help as he sat up, his back against one of the metal crates.

"The exercise will end when one of us dies…it needs to be me." He offered further, probably knowing Raditz wasn't convinced.

"I'm not going to let you die, you fool." Raditz was undeterred, but Nappa once again pulled back from him.

"The woman…she's pregnant with the Prince's child. You need to save that for her." He admitted, probably expecting the revelation to mean something to Raditz.

It didn't.

"I don't give a shit about her! I'm saving _your_ ass, old man." Raditz growled, and once again made a move to inject Nappa with the re-gen serum.

"Stand down! That's an order!" Nappa yelled, eyes narrowing and fist balling. This reminded Raditz of all the poundings he'd received from the older saiyan throughout his life…when he did something stupid, when he said something stupid, when he thought something stupid…today would be no exception if he didn't do as told.

"I'm not letting you die…" Raditz was angry now, angrier than he'd ever been in his life. How could Nappa be so selfish? If he died, then he'd be the only one around to take care of the Prince! And with all the shenanigans taking place, he certainly didn't want to be the one left alone with Vegeta.

The volleys started again then, with a greater intensity and speed, striking Raditz in the back and sending him tumbling forward. Another volley hit him square in the back, and he had to roll over quickly to avoid a third. A guard came around with a gun, and he had to act fast to strike his opponent down. He kicked the guard hard in the groin and wasted no time in jumping over him, grabbing his neck and twisting it.

The guard dropped with a thud and Raditz smirked, satisfied with his quick work.

A disgruntled grunt reminded him of his fallen comrade, and he could now see Nappa had not been so lucky, his chest plate cracked to pieces from the various hits he'd taken.

"Shit!" Raditz quickly ran to Nappa, kneeling next to his slouching form.

"Just…get…to the h-eir."

And with that, he drew his last breath.

* * *

"After Nappa's death, I had about five guards gang up on me, firing continuously. I thought I was toast…then I passed out." He finished with a shrug, as though it answered everyone's questions. After a couple of silent seconds, older capiter spoke up.

"And then?"

The jurors looked impatient, as though this last part of the story was the most important.

"Then I woke up. And there was the empty cartridge of the re-gen shot next to me."

* * *

Raditz awoke suddenly. It took him a moment to roll over, though, as he still felt the achiness from the ki hits all over his body. He noticed the empty re-gen cartridge next to him and then his thoughts were immediately of Nappa.

The Commander lay limply on the ground.

There was a sound to his left, and Raditz turned sharply in that direction in time to see a figure leave through a hatch door. With a grunt, Raditz got up and followed after.

***

"I was always one corridor turn behind Jeice, as it turns out." Raditz explained.

"Jeice?" Bulma questioned. What was his involvement in all of _this_?

"Yes. I was about to follow him inside the ceremony room, except Zarbon dragged you in there first." He answered, speaking directly to Bulma now, as though forgetting about the jurors sitting not far from them.

"I waited outside the door, not sure I could just burst into the room uninvited. I was deciding my options when Dodoria's body smashed through the door in a pink, bloodied mess."

* * *

As soon as Dodoria's body burst through the door, bending the metal outwardly and leaving blood splattered in its path, the stations alarm went off loudly. The sound was drowned out by a loud screeching coming from the station itself and everything began to shake, reminding Raditz of an earthquake. Except, they weren't on land…

All along the corridor hatches began to close automatically and the ships computer began the evacuation sequence, urging the stations occupants not to panic and to get to an escape pod.

Raditz jumped in the ceremony room through the hole made by Dodoria's body and had no time to survey the scene as he took in the woman's limp body not too far from him. He knew Vegeta was fighting Zarbon, and that they were using ki, and that most likely the station would not be able to contain the surge in power much longer. He didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that!

Without further hesitation, he grabbed the woman's limp body and injected her with the last re-gen shot she had hidden in his armor. She was beyond pale, and he knew she'd lost too much blood. The shot was most likely in vain. That's when he noticed the Emperor; sitting on his hover chair and watching him with a curious gaze from across the room. He lifted his finger and pointed at Raditz, but before Frieza could do anything further, everything shook again and then the room's emergency doors began to close, dividing the room in half.

Raditz was relieved to be on the other side of the room, away from Frieza and the two men fighting.

"I don't think that re-gen shot will be enough." It was Jeice's voice, and Raditz quickly turned around to face the Ginyu Squad member.

He held his hands up, as though he meant no harm to him.

"May I?" He asked, pointing at Bulma's lifeless body. Raditz narrowed his eyes and growled in response, hunching over her protectively. He wasn't sure why, though, as she was not_ his_ woman. But Nappa's last words had really stuck with him, and the fact the old commander had bowed to her somehow meant something.

"I promise, I mean to help you save her." He sounded sincere enough, and Raditz was sure it had been Jeice whom had revived him earlier. Why would he do that?

Raditz knew they had very little time to waste, so he laid her down on the cold floor and Jeice knelt down opposite of him. The re-gen shot had sealed her slit throat, but she was still not breathing, and looked white as paper.

Jeice rubbed his hands together and placed his flat palms above her chest. Raditz could sense the energy he held in his hands as he carefully displaced it outward and onto the woman.

There was more screeching and shaking from the station, and soon Jeice was jolted, having to stop his efforts.

"This is taking too long!" Raditz was never one to idle on the side of caution, and knowing there was very little to lose now, he shoved Jeice away and took matters into his own hands. He pounded on the woman's chest once, with as much force as he knew wouldn’t break her. The effect was immediate; she drew one agonizing first breath, her entire body lurching forward before falling back against the floor. She lay limply again, but her chest was raising and falling, though unsteadily.

Jeice and Raditz stared at each other in obvious relief for a brief second. But before either one could comment, the claxon on the ship alerted to the impending dangers of staying on the station much longer. A computerized voice provided further instructions:

"_Alert. Alert. Hall breach in levels five, six, seven and eight. Keep calm and proceed to the nearest escape pod_."

"Your best bet is to get to the one-man pods on level three." Jeice offered, and Raditz couldn't help but distrust the red skinned soldier, unsure and unclear of his motives. But he had no time to question him as everything began shaking again, more violently now. Light panels burst all around them and all space facing viewing windows began to crack. It felt like the ship was breaking form the inside.

Raditz scooped Bulma in his arms and quickly ran out of the room the same he he'd come in. To his surprise, Jeice did not follow behind them.

* * *

"Jeice was right. I made it to level three, placed Bulma in one of the pods and myself in another, heading to the nearest habitable planet."

Raditz finished, and Bulma felt as confused as the jurors looked.

"Why did Jeice help us?" She asked, though knowing Raditz would not really have the answer to that question.

The jurors began mumbling something amongst each other, too quietly for Bulma to hear. Once they all agreed, the head juror spoke up again, her voice unwavering.

"We would like to know the answer to this question as well. Why did he help you? I suppose we should ask _him._"

And then, to her utter shock, Jeice was brought out to stand next to her and Raditz.

***

Jeice's hands were bound and five guards stood around him, aiming the ki-guns directly at him.

He stood and smiled cockily, as though he could make his escape at any time, and the feeble attempts at keeping him captured were useless. And yet, he stood where he was told and only glanced at Bulma once, and it was to wink at her.

Bulma frowned. Now that the complete story was coming together, she wasn't sure were Jeice fit in all of it. But more than anyone else she'd encountered in her yearlong travel after the events of that faithful, Jeice was the one with the potential to give her the answer to the ultimate question:

What happened to Vegeta?

"Jeice is here as a prisoner of war, though he surrender willingly to us about two months ago." Bulma was explained by the male capiter, who smiled at her reassuringly as though to make sure she felt safe.

"We need to know what happened after Miss Brief's died." Jeice was asked.

"And why you helped us." Added Raditz.

Bulma observed his reaction closely, and she could sense the shift in his mood. He no longer held that smirk in his smile or the playful gleam in his eyes. He was serious now, and took a deep breath before he spoke at last.

"I suppose I should start by saying that I was specifically hired by Frieza to investigate Bulma quite a while before _the event_." He paused, long enough to bring his bound hands up to his face and scratch his nose.

"He suspected she was up to something, but wasn't sure what. You see...Frieza doesn't have many weaknesses in terms of physical strength. There's no one that could rival him in this sense…but intelligence is a different story. He knows someone could outwit him, and that's why he wanted me to keep a close eye on Bulma. Zarbon was too blinded by his own obsession to think clearly, where I would have no objections to the findings. And so I began intercepting every transmission she made, every schematic she produced…anything and everything she worked on." He paused again, making everyone shift impatiently.

"And what did you find?" One of the jurors asked, urging him to continue.

"Well, I found that she planned to use the weapons she was building _for_ Frieza to arm the entire galaxy against _him_. So naturally, I did what anyone in my shoes would have done…"

He looked down at Bulma and smiled, his cocky smirk back, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"…I helped her along."

* * *

Thank you fo reading! Next chapter is the 'great desertion' itself! :) 


	13. The Great Desertion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter also jumps back and forth in the timeline.

** _The Day of the Great Desertion, One Year Ago_ **

** _Outpost station N13-569_ **

Halox’s job was pretty simple. He needed to look at the computer monitor and when the red dot turned green, he pushed a button. He didn't know what the button triggered and he didn't care. It wasn't his job to question things; he had only one task and he was proud of being the fastest button pusher on the relay station. It was a relatively quiet outpost, with very little excitement ever taking place. His species, the Horions, were not considered either too bright or too strong, but they were perfect for paper pushing jobs…and button pushing, of course.

And so, when the computer monitor bleeped and the red dot turned green, Halox had no hesitation in pushing the button. What happened next, however, was completely unexpected to Halox…and everyone else on the known galaxy.

* * *

Once he had destroyed the disk, Vegeta wasted no time in his attack. As a matter of chance, Dodoria was nearest to him, so in a blink, he'd materialized behind the pink, fat blob and shoved his fist straight through him. Dodoria's heart was propelled out from his opened chest and slid across the marble floor to come at Zarbon's feet.

There was a collective silence for what felt like an eternity, but which in reality were three saiyan heartbeats, before Zarbon could finally react. Vegeta then threw Dodoria's lifeless body with so much force it burst right through the double doors of the main entrance. The ship began complaining immediately, sounding off the alarm.

Vegeta could not control the power surging through him, having released the anger and hate consuming him for so long, and he simply could not stop himself now. Zarbon came at him with as much force as he could without powering up fully, and so it was easy for Vegeta to deflect his punches and kicks. Zarbon was clearly caught off guard, and Vegeta could hear as Frieza laughed with amusement not too far from them. Zarbon growled with frustration and powered up, using ki against the Saiyan, sending a round of small energy balls his ways.

Vegeta vaguely saw Raditz out of the corner of his eyes, heading towards the woman's lifeless body. He didn't have time to ponder on this as he deflected the attacks of his most hated of enemies. Everything shook around them, and Vegeta knew they didn't have long before the space station broke apart, or they punched a hole through it.

They continued assaulting each other with rounds of punches and kicks, but it was Vegeta landing all the hits.

Zarbon was sweating, unable to land a single hit against him. In what could only be described as desperation, he created an energy blast aimed straight at the Saiyan's chest, from a distance of a mere two feet. In a fraction of a second, Vegeta weighted his two options; deflect the blast and probably cause the ship to finally break apart, or absorb it.

He absorbed it…his own ki energy coming outwardly to meet the invading power from his enemy, consuming it until it was no longer Zarbon's energy, but his own.

And then he balled it up, concentrating all his energy, all the years of hate, regret, suffering…he balled it all up into one small ki ball…and then he grabbed Zarbon by the neck with the other hand, and rammed the ball of energy down his throat.

Zarbon's body fell to the ground in a heap of smoke and char, though he'd yet to die. Involuntary spasms revolted his body, and the agony of his impending death apparent as he moaned in pain. Vegeta stared at his fallen enemy and spat on him.

"You die with no honor…" He circled Zarbon's bloodied form, much like a predator readying for the final kill. "…just a speck under my boot!" And with that, Vegeta brought his foot down on Zarbon's head, and crushed it.

The anger inside Vegeta was insatiable, however, and his sights turned to a much larger prize. Vegeta had directed most of his hate towards Zarbon, but it was Frieza who deserved it the most.

Frieza sat stoically on his hover chair with no sign of amusement present now. They stared at each other for some time, the ship's alarm continuing to blare, ordering the immediate evacuation of those still on board.

"You cannot possible hope to defeat me here." Frieza spoke, his voice thin as ice.

"Just tell me where, and I will meet you in battle." Vegeta answered, trying to ebb the anger within him, his fist balling at his sides.

"Fine, then. If you insist on meeting your maker…" Frieza looked away from Vegeta and tapped a couple of times on the panel of his chair, presumably to find the coordinates of the nearest habitable planet.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He cried in anger, tapping at the panel with obvious irritation.

"It's all blank…" Frieza narrowed his eyes at Vegeta, but the saiyan had no idea what he meant.

"This was _her_. She did this!" Frieza cried again, reminding Vegeta of a small child who'd lost his toy. Things were unraveling for Frieza, and Vegeta knew he needed to seize the moment.

"Enough! Choose the planet where you'll take your last breath." Vegeta had run out of patience, and the ship was nearing the last of its limits. The shaking was nonstop now, and Vegeta knew, unlike Frieza, he wouldn't be able to survive in space for long.

"_Helio_ is not too far from here. In the next solar system." This was offered by Jeice, who'd been out of sight until this point, and Vegeta was reminded of his promise to kill him as well.

"I suppose it shall do." Breathed Frieza, as though already bored of the conversation. "I shall meet _you _there." He sneered at Vegeta before turning to Jeice, the last of his top elites left on board.

"Prepare my evacuation pod." And then Frieza maneuvered his hover chair towards the exit of the room, uncaring of the green innards belonging to his once favorite subject splattered all across the floor.

"I have decided to desert the Empire, your highness." Jeice's answer managed to pause Frieza's exit. The purple tyrant didn't turn around, though, as he spoke up.

"Is that so?" He hissed between clenched teeth.

But Jeice didn't answer and simply stood there, in the middle of the room, not too far from Vegeta.

"Fine…but do come to _Helio_. I shall like to destroy you right after I defeat Vegeta." And with that, he exited the room, presumably to find transportation off the failing space station.

"We must get to the bridge…we can separate it from the station and get to _Helio_." Jeice spoke as soon as Frieza had exited, turning to Vegeta and speaking to him as though nothing of significance had just taken place.

Vegeta cocked his head to the side, the anger and hate still balled up inside of him, and his promise to kill Jeice still lingering in his fore mind.

"You don't want to kill me, at least not yet." Jeice stated, as though reading Vegeta's thoughts.

"I can get you to _Helio_ and then you may decide my fate." Jeice offered reasonably.

But in Vegeta's mind, the promise had already been made. Jeice's fate was decided. And so was Friezas…

…and probably his own as well.

* * *

**_Earth_**_  
_**

Krillin was pushing the large payload, sweat dripping down his forehead as the cart finally aligned with the tracks, the _clank_ an indication his pushing had done the trick. He paused to gulp down air as he used the side of the metal cart to rest shortly, catching his breath. It didn't last long as one of the soldiers quickly yelled at him to get back to work, threatening to beat him silly if he didn't.

But just as Krillin was about to start pushing the cart again, filled with large and extremely heavy rocks and waste material, something caught his eye just beyond the entrance of the cave. There was something coming down from the sky…a large metal box of sort attached to a massive parachute. It landed just clear of the cave opening, near the survivor camps, whom were forced to work the caves to extract the minerals and raw materials for Frieza's army. The human workers quickly surrounded the large crate and the doors promptly opened automatically.

Krillin tried pushing his way towards the front of the instantly gathered crowed, where he could see Gohan standing just outside the entrance.

"Gohan! Step back…we don't know what it is!" Krillin warned his young charge, but it was too late, Gohan had gone inside.

Guards also pushed their way through the crowed, carelessly tossing the human slaves aside as they themselves made their way towards the large and unexpected anomaly.

"You! Get out of there!" One of the guards had seen Gohan inside, and was aiming his sights on the young demi-saiyan when suddenly the guard was thrown back by an unknown force.

When Krillin finally reached the entrance of the crate, Gohan stood holding something so unexpected, it took Krillin a couple of seconds to comprehend it.

In Gohan's hand laid a gun. And not just any gun.

A gun with the initials CC carved on it, one C inside the other.

The fallen guard was soon joined by a dozen more, whom were ordering the crowed of humans to step back and get back to work. But instead, all those around Krillin did the same thing Gohan had done; they went inside the crate and grabbed a gun.

Not just any gun…a _Capsule Corp_, gun.

And they fired at their enemies.

* * *

** _Present_ **

"All around the Empire, shipments of the guns arrived at virtually every single colony and encampment. The upheaval from all those subjected to Frieza's misdeeds and tyrannical ways wasted no times in rising up against everything that stood for him. Likewise, when we arrived on _Helio_, the battle against Frieza's soldiers had already been decided. And since Frieza’s henchmen couldn't use the guns themselves…thanks to Bulma's crafty generic settings…it was only those who possessed virtually no ki of their own the ones able to use the guns." Jeice finished explaining.

The female capeter, named Lunia, stood up from her seat and motioned for the rest of the jurors to do the same. Bulma was also asked to stand and along with Raditz and Jeice, they were taken down a remote path heading away from the lights of the small camp, and towards a great clearing.

It was late in the evening, but the planet's two moons allowed for Bulma to take in some of the details. It was a barren field, and there were massive holes that could be seen in the distance. A mountain range had been reformed with jagged edges and missing sides…

"Welcome to _Helio_." Lunia's words echoed in Bulma's mind, and she was reminded of a dream. A dream were all the scouters blew simultaneously, overloading with a great power surge**.

"This is where the final battle took place." Lunia voiced, sending chills up and down Bulma's spine.

"Yes." Echoed Jeice, as his gaze haunted the distance before him, probably remembering the fateful day.

"How did it end?" Bulma asked, unable to contain the feeling inside her anymore. She needed to know what happened…with every fiber of her being…she needed to know once and for all.

* * *

Jeice had maneuvered the ailing ship to _Helio_, its only other occupant sitting as far from him as was physically possible. They hadn't spoken more than a handful of words since they'd set out to the nearby planet to finish what was started.

Jeice knew the prince wanted him dead; probably convinced he'd also been responsible for Bulma's death. He could tell the prince the truth…that she still lived, though barely, but Jeice understood this to be counterproductive. Saiyan's needed fuel to fight, and this was the purest and rawest of such, and Vegeta would need everything he could get to even have a chance against Frieza.

"He has several transformations up his sleeve…three to be exact. His last is the most powerful, of course. Your best bet is to get him to transform to his last stage as quickly as possible. Since he's not used to fighting in this stage, he might drain himself a lot quicker this way." Jeice finally broke the silence between them as they neared the planet's outer atmosphere, and the ship began to shake slightly.

Vegeta didn't say anything and just kept silent.

After the ship had finally landed on the ground, and Jeice had opened the hatch to allow Vegeta off the ship, he called to the Saiyan.

"I'm sorry about your family." He said, hoping this would invoke the anger inside the saiyan, who was finally free to unleash all the power within him on the planet.

"I will kill Frieza. And then I will kill you." He promised, before finally stepping off the ship and meeting Frieza in battle.

***

There were bodies all around the field, many wearing the traditional chest plate and gear of Frieza's army, with the scouters still attached to their faces. They had been gunned down by what Vegeta could recognize to be the woman's ki guns. He could still hear firing in the distance and he could somehow feel the energy emanating from the being standing but a hundred feet away from him.

"I must admit I was blindsided by this. I knew you would be a threat one day, but I wasn't expecting Bulma to create such havoc." Frieza admitted as he undid his shoulder plates so he could rid himself of the armor.

"But most surprising of all is seeing you _care._ And for a human, no less." Frieza laughed at this, amused by the circumstances which had led them to this.

"If I'd known how much her death would disturb you, I would have done it myself!" And with this, Vegeta could take it no more, and unleashed himself;

He let go, allowing himself to fall into the pitch darkness of oblivion, permitting himself to open the forbidden door, to savor the evilness within him, to let go of rational thoughts…he unleashed himself; the parts within him he never wanted to admit he had, such as the parts that cared, truly cared for the woman, along with the parts that truly hated the being which destroyed his home planet. He let it all out; and with the insurmountable anger which followed, his powers reached a new zenith, and everything around him turned gold.

* * *

** _Present_ **

"Vegeta turned into something else…the power he unleashed was _incredible_." Jeice whispered, as a tear ran down his cheek. Perhaps it was a warrior thing, to be touched emotionally by such destructive power, but Jeice was clearly taken aback from it, even a year later.

"He turned Super Saiyan." Raditz weighted in, finally speaking for the first time since they'd come to the clearing.

"Vegeta fought Frieza with everything he had. At the end, when neither of them had much more left in them, Frieza prepared to destroy everything, including himself, with one final blast…."

* * *

Vegeta fought against the weight of the world just to get back up on his feet. He'd achieved the ultimate transformation; he'd become the _legendary_. A Super Saiyan. The power surging through him was intoxicating at first, but now, after hours of fighting the Ice-jiin and surviving all three of his opponent's transformations, he'd basically drained himself. He had nothing else within him…nothing else to sacrifice. The hate had been consumed…there was nothing left in the void.

He knew the gold energy was flickering as he fought to hang on to it…and from across the now destroyed field, Frieza did the same. They both knew they were spent, and victory would belong to whomever wanted it more.

Frieza unleashed one final scream, so ear piercing Vegeta had to bring his hands up to his sensitive saiyan ears. Vegeta could tell Frieza meant to draw as much energy to himself as possible and then unleash it on the entirety of the planet, not necessarily aimed at him, but with enough force to destroy everything. This was Frieza's final card…he would self-destruct, and destroy everything else with him. Vegeta tried to collect the last of his energy, to summon the last drops of life within him…

It was not hate that filled his vision…**no**. He'd spent all the hate. It was something else. Something he'd only felt in the presence of the woman. The feeling he'd hidden as he realized she was with child as they spent their last night together. That's all he had left within him…and so he clung to it…

…and just as Frieza was to release his final attack, Vegeta unleashed everything he had left—the unnamed feeling-- in the ultimate Final Flash…and ended it.

He destroyed Frieza.

Darkness soon consumed Vegeta, and he fell to the ground…there was nothing left now.

* * *

_Vegeta could feel the sand curl around his toes, making him wonder why he was shoeless. There was white sand all around him and it was so bright it was almost blinding. He had to squint to see the waves, though he could clearly hear as the waves broke against the sand bank._

_He could not see anyone else on the white sandy beach, and yet Vegeta did not feel alone._

"Do you know where you'll go yet?" _The voice belonged to a man, who had materialized next to him and who looked remarkably like a saiyan. And a very familiar saiyan, at that._

"No."_ Vegeta answered, although he didn't know why. It's not like he owed the stranger any answers…he didn't even know him!_

"She's not here, you know. She went back." _The man stated, running a hand through his thick black hair, reminding him so much of his subject, Raditz._

"You should go back too, and find her." _The man suggested, offering a goofy smirk which Vegeta wanted to instinctively wipe off the stranger's face with a solid punch._

"And if you see my son …tell him he was so brave. Gohan was so brave…can you tell him that for me?" _The man asked while looking straight into his eyes. Vegeta nodded once, agreeing with the man's wishes. Not that he owed him anything…but he felt obliged, for some reason._

"Now…go find Bulma."_ He smiled again, that goofy grin, and then everything disappeared again._

* * *

Thank you for reading!!!

**Please read back to the prologue.


	14. The Way Home

** _Chapter Fourteen: The Way Home_ **

** _Present_ **

Bulma stood at the edge of the clearing for some time as she inspected the last of the story in her mind. Jeice had explained, with the help of Lunia, the events after FrIeza's destruction. How Vegeta had fallen…no strength left in him… and how he was almost dead himself.

Lunia was amongst those who had fought to free the planet _Helio_. The rebels had used the ki-guns to defeat FrIeza's soldiers and then stood by to witness FrIeza's demise at the hands of Vegeta. Many of the rebels debated whether Vegeta should be destroyed as well. If there was ever a chance, they argued, it would be now, when he was most vulnerable.

But he had freed the Galaxy from tyranny, fulfilled a legend and done the unthinkable.

_"We stood vigilant over his comatose body for three days, until he awoke_." Lunia's words still hung in the air and over the barren field beyond.

_"We bowed to him, our savior, and pledged ourselves to the Saiyan Empire." _Her words echoed in Bulma's mind.

Jeice had not stuck around to witness Vegeta's revival. He knew to be on the short list of Vegeta's most wanted, and so he'd fled the planet. But it had become obvious to him, as Vegeta forged across the galaxy in the months after destroying the last ruminants of FrIeza's rule, that it would only be a matter of time before he'd be found.

_"So I came back to Helio to stand trial for my sins. But not before sending you and Raditz the scripted message that brought you here."_

This was the last piece of the puzzle for Bulma. The mysterious message had suggested Vegeta would be on this planet. Indeed, the planet held many answers, but no Vegeta.

_"Where is he now?"_ She'd asked, both Lunia and Jeice, but neither knew the answer.

_"King Vegeta is still purging the galaxy of Frieza. He promised to eradicate anything build or done in Frieza's name. He does, from time to time, send us some high-ranking officer to stand trial…such as Captain Ginyu, who was found guilty and executed."_

It was a new galaxy order…and Vegeta…_King_ Vegeta, was setting the rules.

And then it dawned on Bulma; what did she expect would happen once she found him?

It wouldn't be some happy reunion where she'd run across a field into his open arms. He had an Empire now –a purpose-and she wasn't sure where she fit in all of it. Bulma needed a new purpose herself, and finding him could no longer drive her destiny.

After some more time standing at the field, Lunia approached her, her sunken eyes boring into Bulma's.

"What will you do now that you know the truth?" She asked with a tired voice.

"I will go home…I have family and friends to find, a world to rebuild." She answered, knowing this would be her new purpose. She paused briefly before speaking again.

"I will be taking Jecie. And when Vegeta comes back, tell him I need to speak to him in regards to his promise to kill him." Bulma paused again before taking her eyes off the field to look at Lunia.

"I will need a large, long range ship and supplies for my journey to Earth." Bulma knew she was asking a lot, but Lunia simply nodded in agreement.

As the sun's tendrils began to dance along the horizon, Lunia and the rest of the jurors summoned Bulma for their final verdict.

She was found not guilty and exonerated for any crime committed while under Frieza's rule.

* * *

It took nearly a week to prepare for the journey back to Earth. Bulma had to do a few modifications to the ship they were provided and reboot the entire navigation system. This was her own doing, of course, caused by her death and the destruction of the disk. The entire relay system which provided Frieza's empire with information had been wiped out. This included the mapping of the known universe and in essence, the way back home to Earth. Luckily, she knew how to turn the system 'on' again, and had done so with the help of Lunia and her people.

And now she stood, with her back to the open hatch of the ship as she said her goodbyes to the people of _Helio_. Lunia's hug was the longest, and Bulma felt a tinge of sadness as she bid farewell to the older capiter.

"You take care, earthling." She said, and with that, Bulma turned and stepped inside the ship.

* * *

** _Eight Months Later…_ **

It took two months for the ship to arrive to Earth. Bulma's homecoming had been an unforgettable event for her as she found not only her father alive, but also Gohan and Krillin, just like in her dream. And, as they told Bulma, the Capsule Corp branded guns had helped the enslaved people of Earth fight back and regained their freedom. And so, when Bulma stepped off the strange ship, the people of Earth instantly rejoiced and celebrated her as their savior.

This had been six months ago, and soon after her arrival, the work to be done was more apparent than ever as everything was in disarray. People were barely living, with hardly any food or shelter, and as a lot of the technology was destroyed, it was very much like being back in the dark ages.

But with the arrival of Bulma, and with her father still alive, the Brief's were able to 'reconnect' the world, and today they celebrating having electricity once again.

The power grid hummed to live, reminding Bulma briefly of life on the space station.

"Woohoo!" Krillin jumped up and down in excitement, making Bulma chuckle softly.

"I can't wait to take a warm shower!" He gushed as he left the room just as her father walked in, clearly pleased with himself.

"Great job, dad." Bulma complimented the older Brief, as it was mostly his doing. He simply smiled before turning away, heading back into his private study. He obviously wasn't the same, his wife's death clearly affecting him, but at least Bulma still had a parent. She sighed and made a mental note to go cheer him up a little later.

Her attention was turned to Gohan as she approached his desk and looked over his shoulder to look at his work.

"How ya doin', buddy?" She asked while ruffling his thick hair, making him squirm away from her. There was the hint of a smile in his face, though, so she was pleased with herself.

"I'm almost done…these are harder than I thought." He half complained, brows furrowing as he looked at the mathematical problems before him.

"Well, I have no doubts you can figure these out." She stated simply, while folding her hands in front of her. They had a couple of minutes of quiet as Gohan concentrated on his math homework and Bulma silently guided him through them before they were interrupted.

"Is the squirt done? It's time for his ass whooping." Raditz walked into the room, stretching his arms out in front of him as though warming up.

Gohan looked up at Bulma, silently asking her permission to be excused. She winked at the ten-year-old before nodding towards the door.

"Go." And with just one word, he was out the door so fast he almost knocked his chair back. Raditz smirked before following after his nephew at a similar speed, leaving Bulma behind.

She smiled as she moved to lean against the door frame, taking in the sight of the compound they now called home. There was a sense of peace, with children running around playing, adults busy rebuilding…they started a small school, they had a large tent as an infirmary and, thankfully, they had found a stash of Capsules which contained supplies. She even recovered one of her helidrones!

And now that her father had managed to reconnect the power permanently, things would get much better for the survivors.

Bulma could not follow as Raditz and Gohan trained in super human speeds just beyond the last of the tents, in a small clearing. And even though it had been six months since the nephew-uncle reunion, it was still hard for Bulma to believe it. She smiled, thinking of Raditz as the doting uncle always made her day.

"You seem _awfully_ cheerful today." Jeice suddenly dropped down from the sky next to Bulma, crossing his red arms over his chest as he followed her eye sight to the small clearing.

"The kid or Raditz?" He wiggled his eye brows at her, teasing her.

"Both. It's just nice to see Gohan happy. And his uncle has pleasantly lived up to his family duties." She explained, but deep down inside she knew Jeice saw exactly what she did. It was too good to be true.

"Yeah…until something happens, we're attacked, the Earth is destroyed or conquered…" He offered, very casually and amiably.

"You are the worst prisoner ever." She retorted, wishing she was strong so she could punch him.

"You know, Princess, it strikes me as odd he's yet to make his grand entrance to Earth." Jeice continued, clearly talking about Vegeta, wanting to push her buttons today. He knew, just like Raditz did as well, that bringing up Vegeta was a sure way to get her fired up. And Jeice loved to tease her with the subject.

This was how their friendship worked.

"You should stop pinning over him, Jeice, it's not becoming of a warrior such as yourself." She gave him a glare, and stepped off the doorframe so she could make her way towards the main compound where her lab was located.

She could hear Jeice chuckle as she walked away, and she couldn't help but smile. This was also part of the new 'normal'. Bickering with Jeice, parenting Gohan, helping rebuild, cheering up her father….it was a far cry from her time in Frieza's army, from building weapons of mass destruction and of having to watch her back every minute of the day.

This was freeing…she was useful and important, her technological genius used for good instead of evil, and she had part of her family with her….

…and yet…there was something missing in her life.

* * *

Bulma sat with her back against the wall, staring up at the starlit sky. With the world still in a virtual blackout and no light contamination, the skies were impossibly bright, especially in a clear night such as tonight.

She took another long drag of the cigarette, inhaling deeply as she pretended this would somehow ease her mind. Tonight she couldn't stop thinking about him, her chest compressing with every memory recalled from her time with the saiyan prince.

She missed him, she was convinced she loved him, she was also convinced she would never see him again…it was maddening. And there were nights, such as tonight, she couldn't stop thinking of him.

"Where are you, asshole?" She breathed out, her eyes lingering on the brightest star, which shone impossibly bright. In fact, it was so bright that it somehow looked as though it was approaching closer and closer…

"Shit!" Bulma flicked the cigarette to the ground as she stood and ran towards the main compound.

***

The computer confirmed Bulma's observation; there was a ship approaching the Earth's atmosphere.

"It should be landing sometime within the hour." Her father confirmed, looking at the monitor with a somewhat grim expression.

"Don't worry, dad…we have guns and we have Raditz and Jeice. They're both very strong." Bulma squeezed her father's shoulder reassuringly, and he smiled somewhat satisfied with her answer. This wouldn't be like the first time Earth was attack…now they were ready.

"What about me and Krillin? We're strong too!" Gohan protested, obviously feeling left out by not being named as one of the strong warriors.

"You should be in bed. Now, get!" She shooed Gohan back towards his room, and scolded him as he protested all the way to his room.

"It is way past your bedtime, young man." Bulma paused by his door and made sure he got in bed before turning back towards the main computer room just as Jeice and Raditz joined in.

"What do you think?" Raditz asked her as she walked in, Jeice didn't look up at her, his intense stare on the computer monitor.

"I say…put on your armor, boys." Jeice looked up then, and arched a brow, but neither he nor Raditz said a word as they headed out of the room to do as she asked.

Her father stared at her, somewhat unnervingly and she offered a small smile.

"What?" She asked, not sure why he gave her such a strange look.

"It's just…they do as you say. Like you are their leader. And yet…they could kill you at any moment." His father sounded somewhat concern, or maybe confused by this. Bulma took a deep breath as she sat in front of the main computer monitor, looking as the red dot got closer and closer…

"It makes me wonder…what you did to earn such respect." He finished, and Bulma could not bring herself to turn from the computer.

"I did what needed to be done." She said, barely above a whisper.

"Didn't we all…" Her father responded before walking out of the room and leaving Bulma behind to remember her many sins.

There was that pang in her chest, the one which reminded her of just how broken she truly was, and how incomplete she felt. Maybe they were suffering from survivor's guilt…but deep down Bulma felt she'd cheated death,_ twice_, and didn't really get what she deserved. Maybe the ship would deliver her swift justice, or maybe at last the answer she so longed for.

"Where are you Vegeta?" She asked the computer monitor, hoping the answer would be in the red dot flashing back at her.

* * *

It had started raining the minute the ship had touched down just in the outskirts of their camp, but this didn't deter Bulma nor the rest of the welcome party from being there.

There were a couple of humans holding the ki guns as well as Krillin, Raditz and Jeice. Her father had decided to stay back and watch over Gohan, just to make sure he didn't run off to join the 'fun'.

As they waited for something --anything-- to happen, Bulma couldn't help but make idle conversation.

"I think I will legally adopt Gohan." She announced, mostly to Krillin who stood next to her.

"I was thinking the same thing, actually." He answered, while wiping some of the rain water from his bald head.

"Huh? He's kind of my responsibility being my nephew and all." Raditz weighted in, causing both Bulma and Krillin to look his way. In that precise moment the hatch of the ship opened and their attention was turned to it.

"We'll talk about it another day…" Bulma suggested, her thoughts no longer on the previous conversation but on the possibilities lying just ahead. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure the men beside her could hear it. The rain continued to pour down on them, drenching her hair and clothes, her chest heaving up and down…she could see her breath in the air.

Once the ship's hatch was all the way down, the bright light coming from the ship momentarily blinding her. And then…and _then_ she saw a small alien being, no higher than four feet for sure, wearing a green and black color armored and a red cape. The short being also wore black head apparel with an orange stripe down the middle, and his look was finished off by a scouter. This last accessory brought shills down Bulma's spine, but she shook any doubts away as she took a step forward.

Before she could speak, though, the small being stepped forward and into the rain, and held up a hand.

"I am Staff Officer Sorbet. I've been sent here by the His Majesty, King Vegeta to proclaim this planet…" He looked down at a small pad he held in his hand as if looking for some information. "…planet _Earth._" He cleared his throat. "…King Vegeta proclaims planet Earth as part of the newly formed Saiyan Empire." He did not look at Bulma or the others as he read the proclamation, and instead continued reading, though not loud enough for them to hear.

"Well, tell King Vegeta we do not accept his offer." Bulma spoke up, not waiting for the short alien to finish, and stepped forward again.

"Tell him we will be a free-standing planet _under_ the protection of the Saiyan Empire." The rain was coming down harder now, and she could hardly hear over the wind. But she could see as the short alien, Sorbet, reacted to her demand.

"Tell him Bulma Briefs says so!" She added, having to yell over the wind and rain.

The short alien took a deep breath and rolled his eyes as he stormed up the ramp and back into the ship, clearly not happy with her response. This would probably mean a lot of paperwork for the short alien.

Bulma pushed her drenched, shoulder length hair away from her face. She didn't dare look at the men beside her, afraid they would question her sanity. She felt cold now, and resisted the urge to wrap her arms around her. A couple of minutes passed with no movement from the ship, but then Sorbet emerged again, coming down the ramp to stand but two feet away from Bulma.

"His Majesty, King Vegeta…." He paused, staring at her somewhat quizzically. Jeice moved closer to her and so did Raditz, and Krillin had instinctively moved somewhat between herself and the alien…

"…accepts your terms." He concluded, unconcerned as the rain soaked him.

Bulma let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and she could hear Krillin do the same. The short alien turned to walk away before stopping himself.

"Oh, right." He spoke aloud to thimself before turning back, facing Bulma placing a hand in front of his chest and lowering his head to her, clearly bowing. He then saluted the men around her and went back up the ramp to the ship, which started closing almost immediately.

The ship took off and was gone within minutes, leaving the landing party mostly relived if not confused.

"That went extremely well." Said Jeice, wiggling his white brows at Bulma.

"_Princess_ Bulma…" He muttered as he excused himself to go back to his private tent.

"He's the worst prisoner ever." She complained, for the second time that day, this time to Krillin and Raditz, but they both knew she didn't truly mean it.

In fact, this was her family now, her people. Jeice, with his dark humor and endless teasing; Raditz, whom instead of leaving Bulma behind and going to find Vegeta to be part of the new galaxy order, he'd graciously stayed to help rebuild Earth; Krillin, who'd been the lone survivor from the Z warriors and who took it upon himself to look after Gohan's safety and wellbeing for all these years; her Father, even in his sadness, she could still see glimpses of his old self;…and of course Gohan, the half-saiyan, half-human ten year old son of her late friend. He embodied everything that was good about humanity and the potential of the saiyan strength.

He also held a special place in her heart, not just for being Goku's son, but also for representing a part of her she'd lost…the little fluttering.

Bulma stood in the rain, even after the others left to bed. The rain stopped and the clouds parted, exposing the impossibly bright skies to her again.

"Where are you, Vegeta?" She whispered to the stars. Her only answer was that of a shooting star.


	15. Complete

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now it's really the end....or is it?!?

** _Chapter Fifteen: Complete_ **

There was dancing, singing and general drunken stupor as the people of Earth celebrated two years since Freeza's downfall. As was known throughout the galaxy, the date marked exactly two years since The Great Desertion, or G-D for sort, and planet Earth would be loud in celebrating.

Since Sorbet's visit, more ships had come to Bulma's home planet, many bringing supplies and new technologies the earthlings could trade with. A lot, she knew was sent by King Vegeta, and she was very grateful, though she couldn't quite communicate with him…he was still out of reach.

But today, she promised herself she would not think of him as she joined in the dancing.

"Yeeehhaaaa!" Krillin yelled, doing a cowboy sort of dance and making Bulma laugh out loud. "Come on, Raditz! Let's see what you've got!" Krillin encouraged the larger man, who was simply stumping his foot on the ground as his attempt.

"I am dancing!" He complained, stumping his foot harder on the ground.

"No, uncle Raditz, you have to dance like this!" Gohan shimmed in to demonstrate how the dance was done, making both Krillin and Bulma look silly in comparison.

"Wow! You have mad dancing skills, Gohan." Krillin yelled in encouragement over the music before grabbing Bulma by the shoulders so he could dance around in circles with her.

After a couple of more minutes being twirled around, Bulma broke off from her partner, excusing herself with the pretext she needed something else to drink. She took the opportunity, however, to walk over to the only non-dancing participant.

"Well, someone's not in the partying mood." Bulma pointed out as she handed Jeice a drink. The red skinned warrior took a moment before taking her offering, his eyes still lingering on the ground.

"What is it?" Bulma couldn't help but press Jeice for an answer, as it was unusual to see him like this.

"Nothing…well…not really_ nothing_." He began and stopped himself, running a hand through his thick white hair. He looked conflicted, probably considering his next words.

"You know…Freeza is not the only Ice-jiin with great powers." He finally came out with it, and Bulma felt a chill go up and down her spine. They both stayed quiet for some time before Bulma took another gulp of her drink. She realized this was Jeice's way of reassuring her as to why Vegeta hadn't shown up yet, but it only brought the bitter reminded or life under Freeza's rule. And to think there were more evil emperors left in the Universe.

"Good thing we're under the protection of the Saiyan Empire, then." Bulma offered and smiled, finding humor as she tried to hide any dreadful thoughts of evil emperors and instead concentrating on the slight buzz caused by the various drinks' she's had throughout the night. It took a couple of seconds, but Jeice smile turned into a grin and then into a full out laugh.

"Good thing!" He held up is his drink before downing the entire content in one go. He threw the paper cup to the ground before getting up and joining in the dancing, grabbing a random human and twirling her around. Bulma smile dissipated as she truly thought about Jeice's words, her eyes wondering up at the night sky. There was more illumination around the world now, but the stars were still brighter than before the initial attack on Earth, and Bulma hoped the skies stayed this way.

Her blue eyes wondered to the party again, watching as her friends danced and the entire colony, now named Brief's Paradise, much to Bulma's chagrin, and took a seat where Jeice had just been. From this angle she could see the newly erect buildings, the highest at three floors, and the smaller huts, and she could picture the future of her new home. It was a humble start…but it was a start. There were other colonies similar to this one, but Brief's Paradise had the most at just over a thousand civilians. And while there was no form of government in place just yet…it was clear to all, save to Bulma herself, who was in charge.

"Ms. Briefs! Come join the celebration!" She was called by a group of women, and Bulma took a deep breath before smiling and forgetting all about the stars…and the Saiyan who ruled them.

* * *

The party was still going but Bulma could no longer keep her eyes open. She excused herself, but not before she was made to give the town a few improvised words she vaguely remembered.

"I hope I made sense…" She mumbled to herself as she pulled her top off followed by her pants. She briefly debated whether to bathe now or in the morning, and was about to unclasp her bra when she felt a familiar prickling feeling at the back of her neck.

Bulma froze. Her heart skipped a beat. She could feel the blood drain from her face all the way to her toes. Her breath caught in her chest, and she had to mentally will herself to move. She began by taking a deep long breath and exhaling slowly. She breathed in again and took her time in turning around, in just her bra and panties, to face her intruder.

"It was winded, but effective." He remarked of her speech, _his _voice just as she remembered it. Deep, raw…_feral_.

He held his arms crossed over a familiar armor over his chest, but the black gloves and boots were new. His gravity defying hair looked slightly shorter and there was even a cape to go with his more 'kingly' apparel. He looked like a dark angel to Bulma, and she didn't know what came next. Should she play coy and uncaring? Should she run to him and kiss him?

She looked down to her toes as she realized she was in just her underwear and casually tossed her blue hair over her shoulder, because she could finally do so now after it finally grew out.

"You're looking good." She said, but in her heart it meant _'Where the fuck have you been?!'_

He arched a brow in response and cocked his head to the side as he looked at her.

"You too." He responded, which surprised Bulma as it was an honest compliment with no evidence of sarcasm. They stared at each other for a couple of quiet seconds, the silence only growing more uncomfortable as neither said a word. There were so many things running through Bulma's mind, including everything she'd practice in her head for this precise moment. And yet…

Silence.

And then they both spoke at once.

"Why did you take so long…?" "…You were dead."

"…." "…."

"…I was revived by Raditz and Jeice." "I didn't know you were alive until…"

They spoke one over the other again.

"You go first." Bulma said, rushing her words before they could once again speak simultaneously. But he simply stayed silent, his eyes avoiding hers.

"I was pregnant." She finally blurted out. If nothing else, it was the one thing she needed to say to him. He nodded once at the news.

"I thought you were both dead." He finally spoke, and Bulma's heart tightened with everything she'd been holding in. The tears came swiftly, and nothing she did could hide them. Her heart had been shut for two years, since she last saw him, and suddenly the floodgates opened.

She turned from him; unable to face him as the walls caved in around her, as the warmth of death and the cold of space crept into her memory…and how his absence marked the person she was today.

She felt slightly pathetic, and the feisty Bulma told the weepy one to pull herself together. When she finally spoke, her voice did not waiver and she wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.

"I hear you're King now." She was still turned away from him, facing her bed and the discarded garments on top and tried not to sniffle too loudly.

"Yes." Vegeta did not waste words when he answered her. Words were never his things…he was all about actions. And so when one gloved hand found her waist, Bulma couldn't help as her eyes closed, and she allowed herself to be lost in the small moment. Her back pressed against his armored chest, as the hand at her waist tighten around her.

Bulma brought her hand over his, tracing her fingers over his gloved hand. His lips found the nape of her neck and she could feel as he took in a deep breath. This brought a smile to her face, as she slowly turned around to face him. His hand remained at her waist, and she could look into his dark eyes.

* * *

He'd waited a long time to be this close to _her_. Waited for the perfect moment to take a detour to the blue planet she came from, without raising much suspicion, just to have her within his grasps.

_Her._ The woman who's death had unleashed his powers and made him invincible to his greatest enemy. And here she was, alive. In her undergarments.

Vegeta arched a brow before slowly removing his gloved hand from her waist, taking his time as he pulled on each finger of his glove until it pulled off, tossing it aside and doing the same with the other gloved hand. The woman smiled and brought one hand to his shoulder pad, touching the fabric of his cape.

"This is new." She commented briefly, but by now he's had time to analyze and scrutinize all of their conversations and past moments in close proximity, so he knew what she truly meant by it. And she probably wasn't impressed.

"I'll get you one just like it." He suggested, but partly in jest as he traced a gloved free hand up her arm and to her blue hair. It'd grown out now, to her shoulders, the blue locks just as he remembered.

Her hand continued to trace along his armor until her fingers found the hidden crest, her eyes widening in clear recognition. This was the armor she made him. Surprisingly, she didn't comment on it and just continued to trace his armor with her fingers.

They continued like this in silence for some time, just looking at one another, touching each other lightly, until finally Vegeta had enough. Grabbing Bulma by the waist, he pulled her closer to him, and before she could say a word, his lips covered hers. He could feel herself relax against him, and smell her true fragrance, the intoxicating smell he'd been missing for two years. He could hear her heartbeat, and feel her breath on his skin…

He growled, not really knowing why as he continued to lap at her tongue. Vegeta knew he wasn't being as gentle as he should, but since there were no protests from Bulma, he continued, devouring her mouth with his. Her hands dug into his hair while his came around the small of her back, pressing her body closer to his.

She moaned, reminding him of how much he's missed that sound, the resonance carrying through him and increasing his need for her. He pulled away and slightly nudged her backwards so the back of her legs hit the bed's edge, making her sit instantly. She arched a brow questioningly but soon smiled as he began to unclasp the cape and armor so he could take them off. His spandex uniform soon followed and soon enough he was naked standing over her.

There were no words between them, just ardent kisses and touches as they rediscovered each other's bodies. He filled her, like he'd done before, so completely until one started where the other ended. He inhaled her, savored her essence and took all he could from her, which was her all. And he didn't let go until the sun's tendrils began to dance across the horizon and sleep, the kind which hosted no nightmares, finally took over him.

Bulma's eyes shot open as soon as the first hint of consciousness crept into her mind. The spot next to her on the bed was empty, and Bulma was half afraid the earlier encounter with the Saiyan King had been a dream. A very _real_ and _fulfilling_ dream.

Her eyes searched around the room for evidence of Vegeta's existence and her heart skipped a beat as soon as she spotted the chest plate and cape, lazily thrown against the far wall. Bulma fell back on the bed, relieved and nervous at the same time. She shot off from her bed and straight to the bathroom to a record breaking short shower. Bulma wasted no time in dressing; underwear, shorts, a white tank top, socks and work boots. She ran her fingers through her wet hair, barely brushed her teeth and was out the door within ten minutes of waking up. The day was brighter than any so far, with not a cloud in the sky, and Bulma felt out of breath as she ran straight to the edge of Brief's Paradise and stopped only when she could see four figures out in the clearing just beyond.

"So that's _him_?" Her stride was interrupted by Krillin and while her eyes remained on the four figures, she did stop.

"He's powerful…" He commented, clearly impressed.

"Has he done…anything?" She asked, concern mostly for Gohan and Jeice. Gohan, because he was still young and Vegeta might want to test his demi-saiyan strength. And Jeice…well, because he has a death sentence hanging over his head.

"He punched Jeice really, really hard. Knocked him out for about ten minutes, too. But now they're just talking." Krillin scratched the back of his head, clearly not sure what it meant.

Bulma stood next to Krillin for some time before the four figures began walking towards them.

Gohan was the first to arrive to Bulma's side, giving her a sheepish smile which reminded her an awful lot of his father.

"What?" Bulma asked, but the answer came from Raditz.

"His Majesty finds Gohan a suitable Saiyan." Raditz replied with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Jeice tried to smile, but winced as his entire right side was swollen where Vegeta had punched him.

"I'm glad to see you all getting along so well." Bulma said half joking before her eyes caught Vegeta's. He did not say anything as she came to stand next to him and grabbed his arm, intertwining her own with his as she tugged him into the camp.

"Come, I want to show you something."

Vegeta didn't say anything and simply followed after her, and Bulma gestured to Gohan to follow as well, which he happily did.

The woman showed him the entire town, proudly showcasing their progress with rebuilding. And then she took him to see a quiet old man who looked suspiciously like the woman.

"Dad, this is Vegeta. Vegeta, this is my father." The woman introduced them.

Vegeta nodded to the old man, who looked at him for a prolonged time before extending his right hand.

"Nice to meet you, son." He said, and waited as Vegeta stared at his out stretched hand suspiciously before doing the same. The old man shook it, smiling.

"I've heard great things about you, King Vegeta, is it?" He asked, giving him a sheepish smile.

"Dad, he's not King here. He's just Vegeta." The woman clarified, making Vegeta feel somewhat stiffed without his formal title. He didn't protest, though, as the woman pulled him by the hand again so she could show him more of the small town, the young saiyan cub following after them.

He spent the entire day in a similar fashion, following after the woman, being introduced to random people he didn't care for, being shown her newest inventions…it was remarkably boring in the most gratifying of ways. There was no looking over his shoulder for any potential threats, or thinking about his next move as the new King of the universe. There were no Zarbon's or Dodoria's, waiting to strike him down or purposely humiliate him; there was no Freeza, or his army…or threats from the remaining Cold family.

There was the woman, and the way she walked, and the bounce in her hair, and the glow of her skin, and her endless blue eyes.

* * *

It was almost dawn and Bulma had the feeling today was the day Vegeta would leave. She'd understood his time on Earth would be short, and day seven was departure day. They'd just made love for the third time that night, and Bulma wrapped her arms around Vegeta's chest, her head resting on his shoulder.

"You're leaving today." She voiced her fears, and his silence provided the answer.

"You can't stay longer?" She asked, raising her head and resting her chin on his shoulder blade so she could glance at his face.

"No." He said, though Bulma knew he didn't want to go either. He probably already extended his stay longer than he'd plan.

"When will you be back?" She asked, her heartbeats rising within her chest as she both wanted to know but was afraid she would hate the answer.

His hand found some locks of her hair, and he gently tugged at the strands between his fingers. She was afraid he wouldn't answer her question at all, but before she could ask again, he spoke.

"Within the year, if possible."

Bulma smiled, and kissed the nook of his neck and then slid her naked body over his to lay completely over him.

"That's not so bad, then." She offered small kisses along his chin and neck before his strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"I'm taking Raditz. Jeice will stay." He mentioned, and Bulma nodded once in understanding. He needed someone with him he could trust.

"You know, up until now, I have more Saiyans in my planet than you have in your empire." She teased him, grazing her teeth along his jaw line.

"Hmm. The cub can come once he's older." He offered, referring to Gohan and making Bulma sit up, straddling him.

"You can't take Gohan. It's dangerous out there! He stays with me…" She gave him a stern look as there would be no arguing this point.

"Fine." He conceded quickly, and Bulma half wondered why he agreed so fast.

In a blink of an eye, though, he flipped her so he could be over her, his lips finding hers. He kissed her, long and hard, and Bulma dug her hands into his hair, promising to herself she would never let him go. There was no more conversations to be had as they enjoyed their last hours together.

Dawns soon came, and before the sun reached its summit, Vegeta was gone.

* * *

****** Forty Weeks Later******

The rain was relentless, making the ground muddy and the night overly dark, except for the occasions were lightning struck in the distance. Behind him, Jeice could sense the commotion within Brief's Paradise, and hear the woman as she screamed in pain. It'd been hours by now, and he was afraid she wouldn't be able to tolerate much more of it. But then again, if there was someone who could survive _anything_, it was Bulma Briefs.

The halfling stood next to him, his eyes narrowed as he stared out into the distance, his senses clearly on high alert as he used his ki sensing abilities to try to detect any incoming dangers.

Jeice needed to rely on his scouter, which right now picked up nothing as they stood guard.

"Why are we out here in the rain again?" He asked, annoyed as his white hair clung to his face over his eyes.

"We have to make sure Bulma is safe." Gohan was focused, his look intense as he concentrated.

"There!" He pointed due south, before Jeice's scouter went off, signaling a reading. A very strong ready.

"Shit!" Jeice cursed before pressing down on the signaling device he carried, alerting the camp to the incoming dangers.

Krillin soon joined them on the field, the rain bouncing off his bold head, holding one of the ki guns the woman had created for this exact purpose.

"Everyone's on alert." He said, eyes narrowing as he looked towards the direction Gohan was staring off to.

The rain stopped all the sudden, and the three of them could hear one last agonizing cry from Bulma before silence consumed the entire valley.

And then, a baby cried.

"Finally…" Jeice breathed, the knot in his stomach subsiding. It had been excruciating to hear the woman's scream for so long, and he had promised himself that somehow he would make Vegeta feel some of that pain for a change.

The ki reading was getting closer now, though slower than Jeice would except if this was truly an invading force. They all looked up, as they knew the intruder would come from the skies, and before long there was a shadow moving across the clouds.

The figure stopped mid flight, clearly noticing the three warriors before slowly descending about a hundred yards away from them. The unruly long hair, large physique and white and blue armor was unmistakable, however. And soon their concern faces were turned to surprise ones.

"Uncle Raditz!" The kid was the first to rush out to greet the not-so-stranger.

"Hey little Saiyan. You're looking strong!" Raditz punched Gohan on the shoulder, hard, sending the demi-saiyan flying backwards a couple of feet.

"What are you doing here?" Jeice asked, getting the feeling he was missing something.

"We came for the birth, of course." He smiled sheepishly as he walked over towards Jeice and Krillin.

"We?" They both said at once, and they both quickly turned around and ran towards Brief's Paradise, Jeice leaving Krillin behind as he reached higher speeds.

The doctor and nurse were coming out of the room, and Jeice quickly maneuvered around them despite the doctor calling out to him. "Wait-!"

He ignored the call as he entered the large white room with the single bed surrounded by monitors and equipment undoubtedly used for the child-baring procedure. The woman was sitting on the bed, staring down at the tiny baby in her arms wrapped around a soft blanket. She was smiling, eyes filled with tears. Next to her, Vegeta stood, arms crossed over his chest, his hair jetting up skywards and his face as hard as ever.

"Jeice! Come see." She called out to him, having notice him enter in his clear mad rush.

Jeice looked to Vegeta, who nodded stiffly, allowing him to proceed further into the room so he could do as Bulma asked. There was and would never be love between them, but Vegeta had apparently rethought his promise to kill him and had let him live. Of course, he was bound to Bulma forever now, and to the newborn child.

Bulma moved so she could show him the baby better, unwrapping the blanket slightly so Jeice could appreciate the infant.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Bulma gushed, though she clearly must feel tired from her long and arduous labor.

"She is…" Jeice agreed, although he knew deep down all babies were ugly when they were born. There was a tuff of lavender hair that could already be appreciated, and Jeice wouldn't be surprised if the tiny infant also had her mother's blue eyes. She looked nothing like the Saiyan princess she was, but his scouter could already pick up the strong reading coming from the child. She was definitely her father's daughter.

At that moment, everyone else poured into the room. Gohan, Krillin, Dr. Brief and Raditz. They quickly surrounded the bed and Jeice took this as his queue to move back to the furthers corner in the room, where he could see and appreciate everyone's reaction. There were smiles coming from all, except Vegeta, who stood stoically to the side, though not too far from Bulma and the child.

Even Raditz looked like tears were about to pour from his eyes, and Dr. Briefs held a smile which made his eyes disappear altogether.

"Come here Gohan, sit next to me so you can see her properly." Bulma encouraged, and the young saiyan did as he was told. He smiled as he cooed the baby, who surprisingly grabbed a hold of his index finger. Everyone awed, and except for Vegeta, who frowned.

Jeice couldn't help the smirk he threw Vegeta's way, knowing full well that a daughter was not exactly what Vegeta had in mind. But there he was, the King of the known galaxy, with his black cape and gloves, silently watching over his new family.

This was not a happy ending, he knew, but a hope-filled beginning. There would be dangers to come, battles to fight and whiny saiyan teenagers to raise; there will be a lot of nagging from Bulma, many battle scars to be earned…but in the end, they would somehow endure.

THE END


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the epilogue I was planning just in case I ever extend the story. Hope you enjoy this teaser :)

** _21 Years after the Great Desertion_ **

Video Log 23-105 at 0100 hours…

_Dust had lifted everywhere by now, making it harder to see beyond a couple of feet in the near darkness, but at least it was quieter. Footsteps moving along in a hurried manner could be heard easily now, giving ample time to prepare for the next attack._

_It came swiftly, shots fired from all around and with no obvious way out except up._

_A dark silhouette leaped into the air, pirouetting as she flipped, avoiding any hits and landing a midst the attackers. In such close proximity, the firing squad did not stand a chance. One fired straight at her, but she quickly sidestepped, avoiding the shot which in turned injured the shooter behind her. Another lifted his gun, but she grabbed it and smacked it hard over the man's head._

_A leg kicked out in time to deflect another shooter, his gun flying from his hand and into the ground. Another kick sent that man flying._

_The entire exchanged lasted about ten seconds, and by the time the dust clear, all the men were down, though all visibly breathing._

_She moved quickly into the building, keying a pad near a set of large medal double doors, which would provide further access into the building. The pad beeped negatively and the doors did not open. She keyed again but received the same response._

_She punched the control panel and within the minute had the panel rewired._

_The doors opened._

_She moved with haste across the building, knowing exactly where she was going, her eyes set on the computer system ahead. She turned to look up straight at the surveillance camera…_

The image froze then.

There were no recognizable features, except it was obvious the intruder was a woman. She wore black from head to toe, her eyes gleaming in the frozen frame.

"Analysis." Gohan spoke for the first time since playing the surveillance video, his dark eyes searching her features.

"Well…the intruder is a female." She began with the obvious and glanced at the older demi Saiyan in annoyance.

"Anything else, princess?" His tone was sharp and heavy, unlike his usual cheerful self, Gohan stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore his official uniform, armored chest plate, and the red cape only worn by Elites.

Bra shrugged, pretending not to care for the video or the lesson. She was dressed in a simple navy blue jump suite and white boots, her lavender hair cropped short in a pixy cut. She sat on a large swiveling chair, with one foot hanging over the armrest.

"So you don't find it strange that the intruder used virtually no ki? Or that she didn't kill any of the guards? Aren't you intrigued as to what she might have stolen?"

Bra rolled her head back to look up at the ceiling, acting bored.

"Bee…look at me." Gohan's tone was soft, pleading, and Bra sighted loudly, dramatically, before finally looking his way. His dark eyes searched hers with such intensity she could not look away.

"Why?" He asked, his voice hushed, as though he didn't want anyone else to hear. Except they were alone in the large room, surrounded by large screens and various computer consoles.

"Why what?" Bra's voice was not as hushed, and she had to control herself not to full out shout.

"Why would you break into one of your Father's security compounds?" He slapped the accusation at her, his look still incredulous.

"Why do you think it was me?!" Now she was shouting, furious by Gohan's questioning.

No one could elicit more anger than her should-be best friend, but things had changed in Bra's world three years prior, and this conversation was only a reminder.

"I don't have to answer to you,_ Gohan_. You are not my Father, you are not my guardian, you are no-" Bra stopped herself short before she said something truly unforgivable, reminding herself she was only half Saiyan, and that her human side was just as important to whom she was.

"Really? I am nothing to you. _Fine_. It does not change the fact that I have to report on this incident to _your_ Father in a couple of minutes. I wanted to hear your side of it, but I'll just have to tell him mine." He concluded, with more spite she ever thought him capable.

"Your side of what?! You weren't even there!" Bra stood now, squaring off in front of Gohan, both hands on her waist.

"And you were?" He smirked, probably thinking he had the upper hand, although she had admitted nothing.

"And who do you think _my_ father will believe…you or me?" Bra knew she had the upper hand on this one. Gohan had no evidence of his accusation.

"Let's see…you were nowhere to be found during the time of the alleged break-in…"

"My computer logs show me in my room, because that's where I was." Bra interrupted, moving back to the computer console to pull up the records of her whereabouts.

"Easily manipulated, especially by someone as smart as you." Gohan retorted, not at all impress with the logs evidence.

"Well, I don't see a tail on the intruder." As she spoke, she unwound her furry tail from her waist, wagging it back and forth in direct proportion to the cockiness she currently felt.

"Uh-huh…right…not like there's an application in the form of a spray that can virtually turn any recorded object invisible? And, may I add, your mother invented this…" Again, he did not seem impressed with her retort, making her cheeks instantly rosy.

"Why would I break into this compound? What could I possible find there that I can't find here, the capital of the Saiyan Empire?" Bra crossed her arms much like her father would in a situation such as this. Her tail once again encircled her waist as she moved to stand but a foot away from her current adversary.

Gohan was much taller than she was, but this didn't stop Bra from looking down at him. He held the same intense look but soon smirked, catching her off guard as it reminded Bra of years past, of when things were much simpler between them. Before, to when Gohan held Bra's unyielding adoration and her father would get jealous, as he would get less attention from his only daughter. Before, to when her mother was not missing, before she got lost in the cosmos with no answers as to her whereabouts….Before the other full Saiyans arrived…to when things were much, much simpler.

_Before._

"What is so humorous?" Bra felt compelled to ask, half of her wanting to punch him in the face for it, while the other half of her wanted to kiss the smirk off his face. Not that she would ever admit to the later, especially now…

* * *

Gohan knew he had the upper hand. This was classic Bra work; breaking into the compound without permanently harming a soul, knowing exactly where to go to find the information she needed. The problem was retrieving whatever it was she took. She was excessively smart to leave any technological evidence behind. The computers had turned up nothing, and Gohan needed to know what she took in order to make his accusation stick.

She asked him why he smirked, but he could not possibly answer truthfully to the question.

_Because you are so insanely smart, cocky and beautiful all at once. Because you drive me crazy. Because…_

"Because I am right." He finally answered. Her look deserved an answer.

"Fine. Think what you will. Say what you will to the King. It doesn't matter…" She moved to turn away from him, but Gohan placed a hand on her upper arm to stop her. Gohan felt electricity move through his body as he did this, and by the way she stopped dead in her tracks, he knew she did too.

"Wait…" He did not know why he touched her, or why he wanted her to wait, so his words trailed off. She paused but did not look at him. _Kami,_ she looked just like her mother…

"I think its best we both go speak to the King about this." Gohan released her arm, which she took back as though it was on fire.

"Fine. Let us go and be done with it."

And she led the way to the throne room.

* * *

Vegeta sat through another briefing as his council of three took turns to speak, his mind preoccupied with other thoughts. Therefore, when his daughter and heir to his empire, and Gohan walked in the room, he quickly barked the orders to dismiss his council and their mind-numbing daily reports.

He stared at both of them with an uninterested gaze, but really he was scrutinizing their behavior, especially as they each made it a point to stand as far away from one another without being too obvious about it.

There was silence. No one spoke.

Vegeta arched a brow and stared at Gohan, but he was preoccupied with inspecting his boots to notice. Bra was staring away from Gohan and into the distance, her mind clearly on other matters.

"I miss the woman too." Vegeta finally spoke, surprising the younger demi saiyans standing in front of him. They looked at each other before staring at him questioningly.

It is not that they did not know this…it was the fact he'd voiced it, which surprised them. But Vegeta understood somethings better by now about the two beings standing in front of him; no matter how much they tried to act and be Saiyans, they were still half humans. With feeble human feelings.

"But I don't go around showing it. I don't go breaking into security compounds looking for answers…instead of ASKING for them. I don't go around moping after my fiancé like a tailless puppy…"

This last comment made his daughter stifle a smile and Gohan frown and mumble under his breath "…I am tailless…".

It was not his fault, Vegeta knew, as the tail was removed when Gohan was very young.

"Now…I need the two of you to…to work things out. Perhaps you need to beat each other up in training. Or perhaps you need to have some…what's that disgusting thing your mother loves? The dark liquid…?"

"Coffee." Both Gohan and Bra answered at once.

"Right…maybe you need to go sit down over _coffee_ and talk things out. I do not give a shit what the two of you do…but you have better come to terms with this fast." Vegeta stood up as he finished his short speech, moving to stand in front of the two demi saiyans, crossing his arms, black cape flowing behind him.

"Your wedding is in two months. I expect both of you to be there." Vegeta's gaze lingered on his daughter the longest, knowing she was the flight risk.

"I don't want to make life altering choices without my mother present." Bra spoke up, defiant. This was expected of her, of course, and Vegeta waived a dismissive hand.

"We've been through this, brat." Vegeta moved past the pair, stopping only as he reached the large window overlooking the city below. There was a large metallic statue of Vegeta in the middle of a square surrounded by many tall buildings. The hustle and buzzle of his capital city couldn't be heard from behind the glass, but it could definitely be perceived from this vantage point. Vegeta's gaze lingered on the statue, built by the people of Helio as a gift to him, recalling the exact moment when he unleashed his last attack on Frieza, freeing the known Universe from the tyrant. Vegeta's face on the statue always hunted him…it looked calm…serene even.

"Father, if I may." His daughter spoke up, interrupting Vegeta's thoughts away from the statue. One day, he hoped, someone will build a statue in his daughter's name.

"_Eschalot_." Vegeta whispered his daughter's saiyan name, and turned around to meet her stare.

"Father." Her supplicating blue eyes held his stare, reminding him of the deep, suffocating void which had taken hold of him since his wife's disappearance. Reminding him of Bulma, his queen.

"What if Gohan and I work together to find her? For the next two months only…after the wedding, if nothing's turned up, I promise I will stop."

Bra stood tall as she spoke, but her words and her tone really tugged at Vegeta. She was pleading...begging him. He had no heart to deny his only daughter, the only beacon left within him, what she so desperately wished.

"_Eschalot, anata ga suru hitsuyō ga arimasu yō ni_." (Bra, do as you must.)

He whispered, closing his eyes as he spoke in his native tongue. His only consolation was the newfound brightness in his daughters' blue eyes.

* * *

Gohan shook his head as he headed towards his private room, desperately needing to be away from another living being and perhaps scream into his pillow.

"Gohan, wait!" It was Bra's voice, and he could sense her only steps behind him. He turned around so fast she almost didn't have time to stop before stumbling over him.

"Don't you get tired of getting your way all the damn time?" He asked, his tone bitter and sarcastic.

No filters.

Bra arched a brow, clearly not liking his tone. "I thought you'd want this. I thought you'd want the chance to find _our _family." Bra's emphasis on ours was a clear emotional attack on him. After all, it wasn't just Bulma that had gone missing, as Krillin and Raditz had also disappeared during their highly secreted mission three years prior.

"You know why this is a bad idea. _Mom_ said specifically not to go after them if they never came back." He specifically used the word 'mom' to piss her off; goading her into the argument they should have had years ago.

"She. Is. Not. Your. Mom!" He knew she was standing on her last nerve, that he shouldn't push the subject further.

"Yes, she is. What I am not is _your_ brother." He pushed the subject further, and now he knew he would pay the consequences, if not now, then at a later date.

He could see Bra's fist clenching into a ball, but she did not act on her impulses.

_Good_. He thought. She was finally learning self-control.

"You will help me on my quest to find _my_ mother and the rest of our family. We only have two months and we have no time to waste." And with that, she turned around and left down the hall, presumably to her personal quarters.

Gohan knew she'd just given him a command and she expected his full cooperation. And he would cooperate…but not for her own good. He was done doing things for Bra's sake.

This he would do for himself.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading! What do you think? Should I continue??? 


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